Liberal leadership race narrows to two likely contenders, Ley and Taylor, as MPs split over nuclearBy political reporter Jake EvansTopic:Liberal Party of Australia21m ago21 minutes agoWed 7 May 2025 at 2:09amNeither Angus Taylor or Sussan Ley has yet publicly nominated for the leadership of the Liberal Party. (AAP: Jason O'Brien)In short:Angus Taylor and Sussan Ley are firming as the two contenders for Liberal leadership, though neither has publicly nominated.The next Liberal leader will have to contend with an emboldened Nationals Party, which is fighting the idea of dumping the Coalition's nuclear policy.What's next?A leadership ballot will be held within the Liberal party room once seats are finalised.abc.net.au/news/liberal-leadership-contenders-narrow-ley-taylor-nuclear-split/105263002Link copiedShareShare articleThe Liberal leadership race has narrowed to two likely contenders, Sussan Ley and Angus Taylor, though neither have publicly put their hand up for the job.The party is searching for a leader after Peter Dutton lost his own seat in a rout that has reduced Liberal ranks to about 27 seats, though a number of undecided seats are swinging back in the party's favour.On Wednesday morning, returning Liberal MP Tim Wilson declared victory in the seat of Goldstein after days of counting, saying he had "defied political gravity" to win out against independent MP Zoe Daniel by listening to the electorate and building community support at a grassroots level."I think there are a lot of lessons for a recovering Liberal Party about how it takes on the future of the country," Mr Wilson said.Mr Wilson, who will likely leap into a senior position in the reduced Liberal Party, said he was not shy about his interest in economic portfolios.He also weighed into the emerging debate on the party's nuclear policy, as it picks over what it took to the election."I believe in the role of nuclear power, not as an end but as a beginning. Nuclear power is part of building the future industrial base of our country," he said."If we don't do that then we are saying either: one, we are going back to coal, or we as a nation are going to de-industrialise."MPs divided on nuclear futureHis comments come after the first Liberal MP broke ranks on Wednesday morning to publicly call for the party to abandon its promise to build nuclear power plants, a policy that Nationals MPs still strongly endorse.Whoever takes on Liberal leadership will also have to take on an emboldened Nationals Party, who feel they ran a "flawless campaign", potentially picking up a seat in Victoria, though the party has lost its deputy leader Perin Davey, who blames her defeat in the Senate on the Liberal Party.On Wednesday morning, Nationals senator Matt Canavan suggested the Coalition agreement between the Liberals and Nationals was a "business agreement" and not a "marriage", and should only be kept if it made sense to do so.While Mr Canavan didn't advocate for a split up, he said the Nationals should be more vocal and potentially contest more seats in the outer suburbs that are normally left to Liberal candidates."We should have a louder voice. We shouldn't feel like we have to muzzle ourselves, which I think we did a bit in the last term," he told Channel Nine.Mr Canavan also repeated his belief that the party should drop its commitment to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2050.The party's leader David Littleproud said on Wednesday morning that nuclear wasn't the reason the Coalition lost the federal election, and people were "trying to draw bows that are very long and not pointed in the right direction"."The reality is, the fundamentals haven't changed — you can't run an industrial-scale economy like Australia's on renewables alone," he told Sky News.Nationals MPs '100 per cent' back nuclearPhoto shows A man in a shirt and hat.Two Nationals MPs say the Coalition's plan to build seven nuclear power stations must be kept, as the opposition moves to review everything it took to an election that handed them a disastrous result.However, Liberal senator Maria Kovacic became the first Liberal to publicly advocate for the Coalition to formally dump its commitment to build seven nuclear power plants by 2050, saying it was at odds with the party's free market values."The notion of the party that is meant to do that, that is the cornerstone of its values, would then nationalise a major portion of our energy system is completely at odds with who we are and what we stand for," Senator Kovacic told ABC Radio National."We have lost shadow cabinet ministers, so the message from the community is very, very clear, and that's why I believe this nuclear policy has to go."Liberal MPs have said the nuclear policy must be part of an all-encompassing review of the Coalition's election failure, and are privately more questioning of a policy that was led by the Nationals from its outset.Former Liberal MP and NSW branch president Jason Falinski, who lost his seat in 2022 to a teal independent challenger, rebuked the emboldened Nationals."We need to spend more time listening to Tim Wilson and less time listening to people like Matt Canavan," Mr Falinski told Sky News."The truth of the matter is the people that Matt represents are now well and truly in our column, and there are no more seats to win in the Matt Canavan column."Posted 21m ago21 minutes agoWed 7 May 2025 at 2:09amShare optionsCopy linkFacebookX (formerly Twitter)Top StoriesPakistan's prime minister vows India's attacks will 'not go unpunished'LIVEPhoto shows A man rides his motorbike through rubble in the darkASIC takes action against Macquarie for 'significant' failuresTopic:Business and Industry RegulationPhoto shows Macquarie Group headquarters, SydneyCourt orders release of 'vicious' CCTV footage after three-year legal battleTopic:CrimePhoto shows External images of Reiby Youth Detention Centre.A feedback loop tanked Dutton's campaign in its final weekAAnalysis by Annabel CrabbPhoto shows Clive Palmer NPCNationals leader backs in nuclear as Liberal senator demands it be scrappedLIVEPhoto shows Liberal Party launch in SydneyRelated storiesNationals MPs '100 per cent' back nuclear being kept as Coalition dissects lossTopic:Federal GovernmentPhoto shows A man in a shirt and hat.Related topicsAustraliaAustralian Federal ElectionsElectionsFederal GovernmentGovernment and PoliticsLiberal Party of AustraliaNational Party of AustraliaNuclear IssuesTop StoriesPakistan's prime minister vows India's attacks will 'not go unpunished'Topic:Unrest, Conflict and WarPhoto shows A man rides his motorbike through rubble in the darkASIC takes action against Macquarie for 'significant' failuresTopic:Business and Industry RegulationCourt orders release of 'vicious' CCTV footage after three-year legal battleTopic:CrimeA feedback loop tanked Dutton's campaign in its final weekAAnalysis by Annabel CrabbNationals leader backs in nuclear as Liberal senator demands it be scrappedTopic:ElectionsJust InFather who fatally shook baby has 10 years added to jail timeTopic:Courts17m ago17 minutes agoWed 7 May 2025 at 2:13amLiberal leadership race narrows to two likely contenders, Ley and Taylor, as MPs split over nuclearTopic:Liberal Party of Australia21m ago21 minutes agoWed 7 May 2025 at 2:09amKaren Webb to step down as NSW police commissionerBREAKING1m ago1 minutes agoWed 7 May 2025 at 2:29amBean counting continues as independent Jessie Price eyes a 'not-so-safe' Labor seatTopic:Australian Federal Elections16m ago16 minutes agoWed 7 May 2025 at 2:14amMore Just InBack to top