In key election battlegrounds, the Liberal party is nowhere to be seen

Factional warfare in Scott Morrison's home state is giving the Coalition's opponents a valuable head start when it comes to campaigning

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Three months, at most, from the next federal election, the seat of Hughes, in Sydney's Sutherland shire, should be a prime target for the New South Wales Liberal party.

After Craig Kelly's defection to the United Australia party, the seat, which the Liberals won with a 10% margin in 2019, became a key battleground. In a normal year, the party would already have a high-quality candidate knocking on doors and nodding encouragingly behind Scott Morrison at press conferences.