Former Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull says he was ousted by the Liberal Party because his colleagues were worried he would win the next federal election.



"You could argue that their concern was not that I would lose the election, but rather that I would win it," he told the BBC's Politics Live host Andrew Neil, claiming the Liberal Party's chances of winning were "less favourable" now.



"As I said at the time it was essentially a form of madness that occurred, whipped up internally and also amplified by voices in the media."

BBC

A clearly surprised Neil suggested the claim was "not credible".

"You're telling me your own party didn't want you to win the next election?"

Mr Turnbull replied: "You just have to look at the facts".

The host pointed to the fact that under Mr Turnbull, the party had lost 40 consecutive polls but the former Prime Minister insisted that they had "drawn even" with Labor.

Mr Turnbull was stripped of the prime ministership in August last year, in a leadership spill that he lost 45 votes to 40. Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton was the first to challenge for the top job, followed by former Foreign Minister Julie Bishop and current Prime Minister Scott Morrison.

The former leader had pledged to quit parliament if the spill motion was successful, which he did, triggering the fierce Wentworth byelection which saw the Liberals lose the seat to Independent Kerryn Phelps.

Here’s my full interview with Malcolm Turnbull, until last August the Prime Minister of Australia https://t.co/XLK1OWOVz9 — Andrew Neil (@afneil) March 7, 2019

When asked whether he thought Mr Morrison is less popular than he was, Mr Turnbull said "that's a fact".

"The party on any of the objective indications, polling, is in a worse position that it was in August. You can't deny it," he said.

On Thursday Mr Turnbull visited the United Kingdom House of Commons as part of a tour of Europe. Following the visit, he said the decorum of the UK Question Time was "inspiring but unfamiliar".

0:00 Turnbull: 'was not I would lose the election but rather that I would win it' 00:00 / 00:00 Share Share on Twitter

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'Ancient history'

The explosive interview is an unhelpful distraction for the Liberal government trying to move on from the ugly spill.

Finance Minister Mathias Cormann told Sky News the ugly episode was "ancient history".

"We have a responsibility to give ourselves the best possible opportunity to be successful at the next election, and that is what we are all focused on."

Senior Liberal MP Kelly O'Dwyer was equally unwilling to comment on Mr Turnbull's claims, saying she would rather discuss policy matters.

"I've got to say there is an obsession in wanting to talk about these past historical issues," she told ABC radio.

Labor MP Anthony Albanese agreed with Mr Turnbull's assessment of the leadership coup as an act of madness.

"The fact is that no one can explain - not Scott Morrison, not Christopher Pyne - no one will explain to the Australian people why that happened."