Turnbull savages rebels

BITTER former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull last night took aim at “insurgents” against him — particularly Peter Dutton — and would not rule out Scott Morrison’s involvement during his first major appearance since the August leadership spill.

Speaking on the ABC’s Q&A, Mr Turnbull labelled the spill “crazy, self destructive and pointless” and said he was still unable to explain why it happened.

He named those he saw as the key agitators, including Mr Dutton, Tony Abbott, Mathias Cormann, Mitch Fifield, Michaelia Cash, Greg Hunt, Steve Ciobo, Michael Keenan and Angus Taylor.

“I did not anticipate that people would act ... so self-destructively,” he said. “It was so obvious that the coup, the insurgency ... was going to be destructive ... there was not going to be any upside.”

Mr Turnbull also said Parliament’s attitude to women was out of date. Asked if Mr Morrison was an active plotter or became Prime Minister via circumstance, Mr Turnbull said he took his successor at his word that he had played no role in the mutiny.