Another day, another threat to Turnbull’s leadership

MALCOLM TURNBULL, the Australian prime minister, was clinging to power last night as rebel Liberal MPS pressed for a second leadership contest just a day after he narrowly survived an attempted party coup.

Mr Turnbull, whose Liberal Party is the senior partner in the coalition government, had won a party vote by 48 to 35 on Tuesday, but the unconvincing victory has left him vulnerable to another challenge.

Australian MPS told reporters that party rebels were petitioning for another vote, though it appeared unlikely that the move would get enough support before today. The move needs a majority of 43 signatories to force a fresh contest.

If supporters of Peter Dutton, the former home minister who mounted Tuesday’s leadership challenge, succeed, Mr Turnbull is likely to be ousted without completing three years in power, and whoever replaces him will become Australia’s seventh prime minister in a decade.

Mr Dutton said he was canvassing for support to take another tilt at Mr Turnbull, possibly before the end of this week.

Jane Prentice, a Liberal MP, said she saw a copy of the letter calling for a second vote yesterday and it had nine signatories.

Should Mr Dutton’s supporters manage to muster enough signatures by this morning, the vote could be held before parliament breaks for a twoweek holiday.

Keen to bring rebel politicians back on side, Mr Turnbull yesterday abandoned his unpopular plan to cut corporate tax rates to 25 per cent.