Taylor, a prominent member of the National Right party faction, resigned from Ley's shadow cabinet on 11 February, following his declaration that Ley was not "in a position to lead the party as it needs to be led".[4] The spill motion was subsequently launched by Jess Collins and Phillip Thompson.[5] Taylor announced his candidacy for the leadership on the morning of 12 February.
Following the spill, Ley announced her resignation as the MP for Farrer in "the next couple of weeks", triggering a by-election.[6]
Following Peter Dutton's defeat at the 2025 election, Ley was appointed as the acting leader of the Liberal Party, until a leadership election could be held.[9]
The election was contested by Ley and Taylor, with Ley winning, 29 votes to Taylor's 25.[10]
Hastie and Taylor leadership challenge speculation
On 3 October 2025, Andrew Hastie resigned from his position of Shadow Minister for Home Affairs. In a statement, Hastie cited a disagreement regarding the Coalition's immigration strategy and stated that leader Sussan Ley deserved to lead "unencumbered by interventions from Shadow Cabinet colleagues."[11]
Following a period of leadership speculation in early 2026, Hastie and Shadow Minister for Defence Angus Taylor met privately in Melbourne on 28 January 2026. The meeting took place against the backdrop of the memorial service for former Liberal MP Katie Allen, which both attended the following day at St Paul's Cathedral.[12][13] Two days later, on 30 January, Hastie issued a statement ruling himself out of a potential leadership contest, conceding that he did not have the necessary support to become leader.[14]
In response to the mounting pressure, Sussan Ley adopted a strategy similar to that used by Malcolm Turnbull during the 2018 leadership crisis. Ley declared that she would not voluntarily call a party room meeting for a spill unless presented with a formal petition signed by a majority of the federal parliamentary party. By demanding that challengers "write their names" on a physical document, Ley aimed to force internal critics to publicly declare their opposition.[15]
On 11 February 2026, Angus Taylor resigned from the shadow frontbench. In a press conference outside Parliament House, Taylor announced his intention to challenge for the leadership, stating, "I don't believe Sussan Ley is in a position to be able to lead the party as it needs to be led."[16] His resignation triggered the spill motion scheduled for 13 February.
The spill (13 February 2026)
At approximately 9am, the meeting for the leadership spill was held. By 9:30am, Ley had lost leadership. Taylor was elected leader a few minutes later.[17]
Coalition splits
2025 split
The first Coalition split occurred on 20 May 2025, following its landslide defeat at the 2025 election. David Littleproud, the leader of the National Party had policy disagreements with Ley, particularly on nuclear power, the Regional Australia Future fund, and giving divestiture powers to supermarkets.[18]
Littleproud argued that because the National Party had largely maintained their seat count while the Liberal Party suffered heavy losses, the junior partner had a mandate to shape Coalition policy. Ley refused to commit to the demands without a formal review, leading the National Party to sit separately on the crossbench.[19] The parties reunited on 27 May 2025 after a compromise deal was reached; this split lasted around 8 days until the new Coalition agreement was formed.
2026 split
The second split happened in January 2026, after Nationals frontbenchers Bridget McKenzie, Susan McDonald, and Ross Cadell crossed the floor to vote against the Hate Speech laws following the 2025 Bondi Beach shooting, contrary to the Coalition's official position. As a response, Ley accepted the resignations of these frontbenchers, which led to Littleproud leaving the Coalition agreement "in solidarity with his frontbenchers". The Coalition reformed on 8 February following the failed leadership spill motion in the National Party room on 2 February. [20][21] This split lasted for 18 days after both parties signed a new "solidarity agreement" to codify that the joint party room has priority over individual party room decisions.[22]
Deputy leadership
Timeline
13 May 2025:Sussan Ley is elected leader of the Liberal Party, defeating Angus Taylor 29 votes to 25. She becomes the first woman to lead the party following the Coalition's defeat at the 2025 federal election.[23]
20 May 2025: Leader of the Nationals David Littleproud announces the National Party will not enter a formal Coalition agreement after negotiations with Ley break down over nuclear energy and regional funding "guarantees".[24]
27 May 2025: The Coalition reforms after one week of separation, following a compromise deal on policy review processes and shadow cabinet structures.[25]
3 October 2025:Andrew Hastie resigns from his role as Shadow Minister for Home Affairs, citing policy disagreements over immigration.[11]
28–29 January 2026: Angus Taylor and Andrew Hastie meet privately in Melbourne to discuss avoiding a split conservative vote in a leadership challenge.[27]
30 January 2026: Following the Melbourne meetings and a week of speculation, Hastie rules himself out of challenging Ley for the leadership and said he lacked the necessary support.[28]
8 February 2026: Ley and Littleproud broker a peace deal in Canberra, involving a temporary frontbench suspension for the "rogue" senators and a new solidarity agreement.[29]
11 February 2026: Angus Taylor formally quits the shadow frontbench, declaring the party is in its "worst position" since 1944 and confirming his challenge to Ley's leadership.[4]
12 February 2026: The leadership spill is confirmed to be held on 13 February after Jessica Collins and Phillip Thompson after formally delivered a letter to Sussan Ley’s office requesting a special party room meeting to move a spill motion. Following the delivery, Thompson resigned from his position as Shadow Assistant Minister for Defence. Throughout the day, multiple members of the shadow frontbench stepped down to support the challenge, including Leah Blyth, Michaelia Cash, Claire Chandler, Jonathon Duniam, James McGrath, Matt O'Sullivan and James Paterson.[5]
13 February 2026: The leadership spill is held, with Taylor emerging as the Leader of the Liberal party, with 34 votes against Leys 17. This cultivated in Ley announcing her resignation from parliament "in the coming weeks". Deputy Ted O'Brien also was deposed after a 4-way contest, with the final result determining Senator Jane Hume becoming deputy with 30 votes, compared to O'Brien's 20.[30]
↑For leadership spills to be held in the Liberal Party, 2 federal members must move to spill the leadership.
↑For Liberal leaders who have not won an election, only 50% of the party room must vote against them, compared to two-thirds of the party room if they have won an election.
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