POLITICAL NEWSBarnaby Joyce re-elected leader of the NationalsMr...

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    POLITICAL NEWS

    Barnaby Joyce re-elected leader of the Nationals

    Mr Joyce was returned as leader at a meeting of the Nationals on Monday morning.

    Barnaby Joyce has been elected leader of the Nationals in a tumultuous party spill that restores him to the position of Deputy Prime Minister after he prevailed against Michael McCormack.

    Mr Joyce defeated Michael McCormack in a party room ballot that concluded shortly before 11.30 am on Monday, one hour after the Nationals met to end days of speculation about their leadership.

    The challenge came when Mr Joyce’s close friend and ally, former resources minister Matt Canavan, moved a spill motion against Mr McCormack.

    The extraordinary outcome leaves the deputy’s position unchanged, with Agriculture Minister David Littleproud retaining the position.

    The outcome is likely to harden the party’s position against further action on climate change out of concern in the party room that the Nationals were not pushing strongly against Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s talk of reaching net zero emissions by 2050.

    Worried that the Nationals were not being heard inside the Coalition, some of the Nationals shifted to Mr Joyce in order to return to a more aggressive style of leadership.

    More to come.


 
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