Sussan Ley faces emboldened conservative backbench after Hastie’s resignation, Liberal MPs warn

Victorian Liberal Sarah Henderson says Perth MP has been ‘sidelined’ for his immigration views but party’s ‘backbench is a very powerful place to be’

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Opposition Leader Sussan Ley faces an increasingly emboldened conservative backbench bloc, Liberal MPs have warned, amid frustration and confusion over the timing of Andrew Hastie’s resignation over immigration policy.

Hastie resigned from the frontbench on Friday, saying Ley had told him he would not have a role in the formation of the Coalition’s immigration policy before the next election, despite holding the home affairs portfolio.