Top Libs tell MPs to stay calm

PM’s poor polling

SENIOR Liberals are reminding nervous federal MPs that the party has recovered from far worse poll results than Malcolm Turnbull is experiencing.

Moderate faction leader Christopher Pyne, the longest serving member of Parliament in the current cabinet with 25 years’ experience, urged backbenchers to stay calm if the Prime Minister records his 30th Newspoll loss to Labor, as expected.

Meanwhile, Labor is preparing to launch social media attack ads on Monday to say Mr Turnbull’s time is up, using his own words against Tony Abbott from the September 2015 leadership spill.

“I’ve been in politics when the Coalition has been much further behind in the polls and won well at the real vote, the election,” Mr Pyne told The Saturday Telegraph.

“In 2004, four months out, the Latham-led Labor Party was at 54/46 and lost 47/53.

“Four months ago the polls said Nick Xenophon was going to be Premier of South Australia. Today he is without one seat, including his own.”

Newspoll has been stagnant about the 47/53 mark, pointing to a Labor win if a federal election were held today.

When Mr Turnbull launched his leadership bid against then PM Tony Abbott, the loss of 30 consecutive Newspolls was one of several reasons he gave for lacking confidence in Mr Abbott’s prime ministership.

Mr Turnbull has since said it was not the “substantive” reason, pointing to economic performance, cabinet governance and the ability to defeat Labor at the next election.

Mr Pyne, a minister in three governments, said his colleagues should stop focusing on internal politics and step out of “the unreality of the Canberra circus”.

Malcolm Turnbull