DUTTON SCOUTS BID

Dutton tallies support for leadership challenge

PETER Dutton is today poised to mount a highstakes leadership challenge against Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull. The Queensland conservative was believed to be tallying his support last night, hours after Mr Turnbull said he had his support.

PETER Dutton last night was shoring up his numbers and is today poised to mount a highstakes leadership challenge against Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull in the Liberal party room meeting.

The Queensland conservative was believed to be tallying his support last night, and if he has the numbers, will personally move a motion to spill the leadership.

The 11th-hour counting of numbers shows how serious the challenge is to Mr Turnbull’s leadership.

Those close to the Prime Minister said Mr Dutton was bleeding numbers, but the Dutton camp scoffed at the claims, pointing to a “disastrous” media performance yesterday by the Prime Minister on changes to his energy policy.

Mr Turnbull said yesterday he had Mr Dutton’s support. “He’s a member of our team, he’s given me his absolute support,” he said.

Education Minister Simon Birmingham, and a key backer of the PM, said: “Peter (Dutton) made a very clear public statement of support for the Prime Minister and the policies of the Government. I take that at its word.”

Treasurer Scott Morrison told Sky News the party leadership was “not an issue”.

“This is Bill Shorten and others, and this is the media and, frankly, there are troublemakers on our side kicking up the dust,” he said.

Mr Dutton’s potential tilt came as he was forced to tell colleagues he was not in breach of the Constitution – which would make him ineligible for Parliament – after media reports surfaced his child care centres in trust could be in breach of rules about having “any direct or indirect pecuniary interest with the public service or the Commonwealth”. Mr Dutton’s office said it had legal advice that proved he was not in breach.

The curious timing of the allegations comes as LNP President Gary Spence was outed for telling LNP MPs that he believed Mr Dutton would make a better prime minister.

The Prime Minister held another Cabinet meeting last night, this time to dump his $144 billion tax cuts. It is understood the Government will instead consider taking a small business tax plan to the next election.

It can also be revealed the Government tried to garner support for its entire company tax package by carving out the Big Four banks but Pauline Hanson would not support it.