Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has slammed Mark Latham for his “repulsive” views, but the former Labor leader’s picture will stay in the federal caucus room despite domestic violence accusations.

Latham is accused by his former partner Nathalie Matthews of a “sustained pattern” of abuse and degradation.

The NSW state MP and one-time prime ministerial hopeful strongly denies the untested claims made in a civil court apprehended violence order application by Matthews, saying he has “broken no laws”.

On Monday, the Labor caucus agreed that Latham’s official portrait in the federal party room would remain, but with a caption providing context.

Weighing in for the first time since the allegations emerged, Albanese said he never wanted Latham to be his party’s leader.

“Mark Latham has views which I find repulsive across a range of areas,” Albanese told ABC’s 7.30.

“He’s someone who I regret being ever being elected leader of the Labor Party.”

Albanese said his feelings were not in “retrospect” as he did the numbers for Kim Beazley during the 2003 leadership challenge, which Latham narrowly won.

“History has proven that judgment to be correct. Mark Latham since … has gone further and further and further away from any values that represent mainstream Australia,” he said.

The words underneath the portrait will read: “In 2017 Mark Latham was expelled from the Australian Labor Party and banned for life. His actions do not accord with Labor values and fail to meet the standards we expect and demand.”

A portrait of former Labor leader Mark Latham will remain in the caucus room, but with a note. Photo: AAP

Latham, an independent in the NSW upper house, faces calls to resign over sexually explicit messages allegedly sent to his former partner while sitting in the chamber of parliament.

Finance Minister Katy Gallagher backed the decision to add an explanatory note to his official portrait.

“It’s finding the balance, you can’t erase history, we can’t pretend he wasn’t our leader, he was and so there he sits in the leaders’ timeline,” she said in Canberra.

“But it’s a recognition … his behaviour and attitudes don’t reflect the modern Australian Labor Party.”

Gallagher said the wording allowed people to feel something had been done.

“It will exist there forever on our leaders’ wall,” she said.

“It’s a pretty strong statement.”

Latham lost his bid for the nation’s top job at the 2004 federal election to former Liberal prime minister John Howard.

The campaign was marked by his aggressive handshake with Howard outside the ABC’s radio studios on election-eve.

The infamous episode was largely blamed for Labor’s election defeat, which delivered the Howard government a fourth term.

In 2024, the Federal Court ordered Latham to pay independent NSW politician Alex Greenwich $140,000 in damages over a homophobic social media post.

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-AAP