Nationals back leader as MP warns of ‘political cliff’

Dominic Giannini and Andrew Brown | January 28, 2026

David Littleproud is defending his record as Nationals leader as MPs dismiss a leadership challenge against him as little more than a stunt.

Renegade backbencher Colin Boyce announced he would launch a spill motion against Mr Littleproud when the party room returns to Canberra for parliament on Monday.

The Flynn MP said he would put his hand up for the leadership if the spill motion carried.

The move comes after the Nationals walked away from their coalition partnership with the Liberals over hate speech laws.

“We do have to get this coalition back together again,” Mr Boyce told Sky News on Wednesday.

“The reality is, they follow the course they’re on now, we are going over the political cliff.

“David has made some bad decisions recently. He’s upset just about everybody you can possibly upset.”

Mr Littleproud said he supported the freedom of all Nationals members to voice different opinions in the party room in a statement that didn’t mention the spill following Mr Boyce’s announcement.

“I stand by my record as leader of The Nationals and what our party room has achieved, through important policy work and standing up for regional, rural and remote Australia,” Mr Littleproud said.

Deputy Nationals leader Kevin Hogan stood by Mr Littleproud.

“This is a process MPs can do but David will have the overwhelming support of the room as he always does with these ballots,” Mr Hogan told AAP.

Former Nationals leader turned backbencher Michael McCormack, who has been critical of Mr Littleproud at times, said the party needed to return to focusing on everyday Australians and the struggles they faced.

“It is what it is,” he told AAP of the spill.

“People crave stability in politics and spills – sometimes they’re necessary, I’m not going to say if I support it or not. But I support the leader, the party supports the leader.

“But I like Col, his heart’s in the right place.”

Nationals senator Matt Canavan, who previously challenged Mr Littleproud for the leadership as he pushed for the party to axe its support for net zero emissions, also saw no reason to make a change.

Other Nationals have privately dismissed the move, reiterating Mr Boyce didn’t have the support needed to claim the leadership.

There appeared to be little co-ordination of any challenge after National MPs were caught off guard by the announcement.

Mr Littleproud ended the coalition partnership when Liberal leader Sussan Ley sacked three Nationals frontbenchers after they crossed the floor on hate speech laws. 

Earlier on Wednesday, Mr Littleproud said a split with the Liberals was not what the party wanted.

“We didn’t leave in anger, we left in disappointment,” he told Sky News.

But Mr Littleproud has said there would be no reunion under the leadership of Ms Ley, angering Liberal MPs who view it as the junior coalition partner overstepping the line by meddling in their internal party politics.

Mr Boyce also raised concerns about One Nation soaring in recent polls after former deputy prime minister and Nationals leader Barnaby Joyce’s defection to the far-right, anti-immigration party at the end of 2025.

The most recent Newspoll showed One Nation with a 22 per cent primary vote, compared to the former coalition at 21 per cent.