Australian leadership challenge: Turnbull calls for ballot, says Abbott ‘utterly unfit’ to be PM

Malcolm Turnbull has called for a leadership ballot against Tony Abbott and labelled him “utterly unfit to be prime minister”. Mr Turnbull resigned from Cabinet Monday afternoon in order to launch his challenge. “A little while a go I met with the prime minister and advised him that I would be challenging for the leadership of the Liberal Party,” Mr Turnbull told reporters outside Parliament House. Mr Turnbull ended the conference by saying he needed to address his Liberal Party colleagues. It’s believed Turnbull will have the numbers to make a successful challenge, including some key members of the party’s conservative faction who have otherwise resisted the more progressive member from the inner Sydney seat of Wentworth.

I have consulted with many, many colleagues many Australians … It is clear enough that the government is not successful of providing the economic leadership that we need.

Malcolm Turnbull.

It is not certain when the vote would be held but there could be a vote as early as Tuesday morning. The vote will certainly take the focus off the Canning by-election in Western Australia on Saturday, which will be a crucial litmus test of the government’s performance over its two-year reign. Speaking to journalists on Monday, Mr Abbott refused to weigh into the palace intrigue about whether he would face another leadership spill. “My job is to do what the public elected me to do two years ago and that is to govern effectively every day for three years and then submit myself to the judgement of the people,” Mr Abbott said.

I just am not going to get caught up in Canberra gossip, I’m not going to play Canberra games.

Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott