Angus Taylor and Sussan Ley frontrunners to lead Coalition after federal election ‘bloodbath’

Dan Tehan and Andrew Hastie also contenders as treasurer Jim Chalmers says Taylor largely to blame for Coalition’s defeat

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Coalition MPs say Angus Taylor and Sussan Ley are frontrunners to succeed Peter Dutton as opposition leader, describing Saturday’s historic election rout as a “bloodbath” for the Liberal party.

Dutton was defeated in his Queensland seat of Dickson by Labor’s Ali France, becoming the first opposition leader to lose their seat at an election since Federation. The Coalition is also on track to lose key frontbench MPs including Michael Sukkar and David Coleman, as well as outspoken Tasmanian backbencher Bridget Archer.

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