Barnaby threat to Turnbull alleged

And Abbott increases the heat

BARNABY Joyce allegedly threatened Malcolm Turnbull with a leadership challenge in a heated argument that caused the Prime Minister to “go into meltdown”.

Sources reportedly told Sky News that Mr Joyce said to the PM: “I’m sure if we had the time, Tony (Abbott) and I could get the numbers.”

The comments, which the media outlet said “could have been off the cuff”, reportedly came on February 15, the day the PM called a now infamous media conference in which he announced a “sex ban” between politicians and their staffers and asked Mr Joyce to reconsider his position.

The once-formidable partnership between Mr Turnbull and his deputy gave way to mistrust on both sides after it was revealed Mr Joyce’s former media adviser Vikki Campion was pregnant with his child.

On Monday, Mr Joyce sensationally since cast doubt over the paternity of the child but said he would raise it as his own, regardless.

Earlier yesterday, Mr Abbott challenged Mr Turnbull to explain why he should keep his job if the Coalition were to lose 30 Newspolls under his leadership.

The latest Newspoll in The

Australian showed Mr Turnbull’s Government has been behind Labor for 28 consecutive polls.

Mr Turnbull cited the Coalition’s 30 consecutive poor results in opinion polls as among the reasons he toppled Mr

Abbott in 2015.

Mr Abbott told 2GB radio: “It was the Prime Minister who set this test and I guess if he fails the test it will be the Prime Minister who will have to explain why the test was right for one and not right for the other.

“It will be up to him to tell us all why the test doesn’t apply in his case.”

The primary vote for both parties rose by a point – within the margin of error – taking the coalition to 37 per cent and Labor to 38 per cent. And Mr Turnbull is only narrowly clinging to his preferred PM status, dropping nine points in a month to 37 per cent.

Labor leader Bill Shorten is the preferred PM for 35 per cent of people polled.

A month ago, the PM was 14 points ahead of Mr Shorten.

The poll was taken after Mr Joyce resigned the Nationals leadership following revelations about his affair with his former media adviser.

Mr Joyce pleaded yesterday for people to stop talking about his personal affairs, just one day after he cast doubts on the paternity of his partner’s baby.

He told reporters he was not going to take part in a discussion that was no one else’s business but his and Ms Campion’s.

“It’s nobody else’s business, so we’re not here to be part of some ongoing litany of discussion about this ... it’s personal, and that’s the last question I’m going to answer on it,” he said.

Asked why he kept raising intimately personal matters himself, Mr Joyce walked away.