Angus Taylor has won the contest to be Liberal leader, with a comprehensive 34-17 victory in a showdown at Parliament House in Canberra on Friday.

Conservative challenger Taylor had been widely expected to defeat Sussan Ley in the 9am leadership ballot, although the size of the margin was surprising.

His backers had justified the decision to role the Liberals’ first female leader after just nine months in the role by citing a string of dire poll results.

When Ley won the leadership after last May’s federal election, she triumphed over Taylor by just four votes. Not only was that reversed on Friday, but the numbers swung more decisively for Taylor.

Victorian senator Jane Hume is the new deputy leader, beating Ley’s deputy Ted O’Brien, former energy spokesman Dan Tehan and Western Australian MP Melissa Price after several rounds of voting.

Arriving at parliament on Friday morning ahead of the special party room meeting, conservative Sydney MP Simon Kennedy said the Liberals had talked about themselves for too long.

“Australia’s not going well enough for us to be talking about ourselves,” he said.

“We’ve got to get today done and then start fighting hard for the Australian people.”

Andrew Wallace, who backed Ley, said she hadn’t been given an opportunity to succeed but agreed the question of leadership needed to be resolved quickly.

Taylor’s backers believe the change in leader will help the Liberals reset after their worst poll slump in recent memory, with support for the Coalition eclipsed by a surging One Nation.

But wielding the political axe will have other consequences – including changes to the makeup of the shadow ministry, and an overhaul of internal staffing.

“Let’s hope I still have a job in an hour,” one staffer said as he entered the building.

The leadership challenge was precipitated by a flurry of resignations from the front bench on Thursday, led by senior conservatives James Paterson, Jonno Duniam and Michaelia Cash.

The resignation of James McGrath, who has previously backed Ley, was widely seen as the death knell for her leadership, while Dan Tehan, previously energy spokesman, quit to run as deputy leader.

Taylor used an Instagram post on Thursday to make the case for replacing Ley.

He believes he has the numbers to win the leadership.

Ley has not spoken publicly about the impending spill, instead publishing a series of social media posts in which she offered a “better future” and that “we will ease the squeeze”.

While speculation over threats to her tenure started in late 2025, Liberals began openly contemplating a leadership change after a Newspoll published in The Australian on Monday, showing the Coalition slipped to a primary vote of 18 per cent.

At the same time, support for Pauline Hanson’s One Nation surged to 27 per cent.

O’Sullivan said the polls were clear and change at the top was needed.

“This impasse has to be dealt with this week,” he said in Canberra.

“Angus Taylor will be able to present a very strong and compelling vision to the Australian people.”

But Senator Paul Scarr backed Ley, saying she had shown “great resilience, great grace, since she was elected”.

“Her response to the Bondi terrorist attack showed wonderful leadership,” he said.

“Sussan has earned my loyalty. I thank her for the opportunity she gave to me.”

-with AAP