Opposition leader Malcolm Turnbull has threatened to quit if the Liberals did not support his assessment that a majority of the Coalition supported an emissions trading scheme deal that he reached with the Rudd Government.
The Liberal leader laid down his ultimatum and closed the partyroom meeting after anti-ETS Coalition MPs, lead by Senator Nick Minchin failed to agree with his calculation that the meeting had supported the ETS deal.
Mr Turnbull later told a press conference that he was the leader, and he has made the call. If people were unhappy with the leader they could take whatever steps they deem to be appropriate.
As he tried to maintain his authority, Mr Turnbull called for a special cabinet meeting for this morning where the consequences of the drama of yesterday being hammered out.
One of Mr Turnbull’s opponents, Wilson Tuckey, has taken up Mr Turnbull’s ultimatum, saying he would call a leadership spill tomorrow.
Government minister for the Howard Government, Kevin Andrews, has declared himself a candidate for the leadership, and will today confirm his intention to stand against Mr Turnbull at a partyroom meeting he expects to be called in response to Mr Tuckey’s letter.
It is believed that frontbencher Tony Abbot will also stand however Treasury spokesman Joe Hockey would not.
Malcolm Turnbull’s resilient speech came a day after both sides argued the pros and cons of the ETS deal, with the leader saying that he had won the support of his party, and was making a decision based on the fact there was majority support.