ERROL PARKER | Editor-at-large | Contact

Just minutes after stepping out for lunch today, the Prime Minister held a press conference to throw a wet blanket over his predecessor’s calls to have Peter Dutton’s eligibility to sit in the House decided by the High Court.

However, just as Scott Morrison was about to answer a very difficult question, his phone rang.

He looked down at it and immediately excused himself, saying it was a call he wasn’t in the position to ignore.

Sources close to the Prime Minister have said the call came from his immediate superior, Rupert Murdoch.

Earlier today, the Prime Minister was forced to make a call on Peter Dutton’s future – so he naturally rang Rupert to get some feedback before he made his mind up.

However, the effervescent billionaire was engaged in other business at the time and was simply returning the phone call.

It would seem that during the phone call, the tyrannical South Australian instructed Morrison not to defer Peter Dutton to the High Court.

The Prime Minister spoke to Mr Murdoch for a few minutes before he sheepishly apologised and returned to the waiting pack of journalists.

“Sorry, that was the boss,” he fatherly laughed.

“And I’m not talking about Bruce Springsteen!”

The nation collectively groaned at the dad joke and forgot about how shockingly corrupt federal politics is for another day.

More to come.