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<\/p>\nHenry Pike is one of those federal MPs most Australians would never have heard of.<\/p>\n
The 38-year LNP politician represents the Queensland seat of Bowman, which takes in Redland City, south-east of Brisbane, and Stradbroke Island.<\/p>\n
His electorate nudges the boundary of Treasurer Jim Chalmers’. The view from Labor is that he’s something of a political non-entity.<\/p>\n
In spite of the modest national profile, Pike has been noticed since arriving at parliament house in 2022 as a regular in the annual Press Gallery XI versus Pollies cricket contest.<\/p>\n
Last year’s clash, on November 2 at the Tuggeranong Cricket Club in Canberra’s south, saw Pike \u2014 batting at number 11 \u2014 score six runs in a game won by the hacks.<\/p>\n
He also managed to take one wicket at a cost of 36 runs off six overs.<\/p>\n
A well-placed gallery source, familiar with the game in question, and who spoke to the ABC on strict condition of anonymity for fear of retribution in this year’s rematch, said of Pike’s abilities; “he bowls pies outside leg stump”.<\/p>\n
In other words, he makes life easy for rivals at the other end of the crease.<\/p>\n
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Member for Bowman Henry Pike had been busy helping Andrew Hastie build momentum to challenge Sussan Ley’s leadership.\u00a0 (AAP: Jono Searle)<\/p>\n
A backroom operator<\/p>\n
To be sure, Pike’s cricketing abilities should not be taken as a guide to his political acumen.<\/p>\n
But he has been busy of late as a backroom operator helping Andrew Hastie build momentum over the last few months for a challenge to Sussan Ley’s leadership.<\/p>\n
Alongside fellow conservatives like Garth Hamilton and Ben Small, Pike has emerged as something of a right faction convener.<\/p>\n
His parliamentary office was reportedly where opponents of net zero gathered before walking en masse into the party-room meeting that saw the emissions reduction target dumped last year.<\/p>\n
But on Friday, the campaign to propel Hastie into the leadership collapsed dramatically.<\/p>\n
“I’ve previously stated that I would welcome the opportunity to serve my party and our country as leader of the Liberal Party,” Hastie said in a retreat that landed right on pub-o-clock.<\/p>\n
“But having consulted with colleagues over the past week and respecting their honest feedback to me, it is clear that I do not have the support needed to become leader of the Liberal Party.<\/p>\n
“On this basis, I wish to make it clear I will not be contesting the leadership of the Liberal Party.”<\/p>\n
A challenge, months in the fomenting, summarily dispatched for six.<\/p>\n
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Unlike Andrew Hastie, Angust Taylor has been careful in recent weeks and months to do nothing that would openly destabilise or undermine Sussan Ley. (ABC News: Matt Roberts)<\/p>\n
Taylor the leading candidate<\/p>\n
The immediate winner in all of this is Angus Taylor, who has emerged as the right’s leading candidate for when \u2014 not if \u2014 there’s a spill against Sussan Ley, according to his supporters.<\/p>\n
“With Andrew pulling out, it’s clear there is only one contender who is ready and can peel enough votes away from Sussan,” one senior source familiar with deliberations on the party’s conservative flank told this column.<\/p>\n
Another senior Liberal conservative added: “Andrew has agreed not to stand which opens it up for Angus to seek the leadership.”<\/p>\n
Unlike Hastie, Taylor has been careful in recent weeks and months to do nothing that would openly destabilise or undermine Ley.<\/p>\n
His supporters and those familiar with his thinking tell this column that he has also not been hitting the phones to lobby other Liberals.<\/p>\n
But as of Friday night, that looks about to change.<\/p>\n
Hastie’s withdrawal from the leadership comes as the direct result of a meeting between Hastie, Taylor and other figures from the party’s right on Thursday morning.<\/p>\n
Their primary goal was to land the faction on a unity candidate. One source described Hastie’s subsequent withdrawal as the “first domino to fall”. Another said a challenge on Ley is now a “matter of when, not if”.<\/p>\n
Now that they’ve settled the matter of who should be the right’s candidate, it looks to be on.<\/p>\n
While Hastie had generated support among conservatives \u2014 primarily as someone fresh who represents a new generation \u2014 his appeal among the moderates is more mixed.<\/p>\n
Taylor by contrast is a fellow conservative with a track record as a senior minister.<\/p>\n
He takes a traditional John Howard economic view of the world. Fiscal restraint, low taxes and faith in the market.<\/p>\n
Hastie, if we’re to take at face value his musings on the need for an Australian car manufacturing sector, has dabbled in more populist economics.<\/p>\n
Loading\u00a0Others sniffing around<\/p>\n
The hares were set running this week when Hastie’s supporters let it be known they were getting ready to precipitate a spill after the Coalition unceremoniously split for the second time in less than a year.<\/p>\n
But that momentum was tempered as the cold reality of what Hastie’s team was trying to do sunk in. What was their plan for day one, two and beyond?<\/p>\n
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