Coalition MPs may not be plotting to topple Scott Morrison but succession jockeying is absolutely under way | Katharine Murphy

The internal disunity is noisy enough to create the impression the prime minister isn't in full command of his troops

On Monday, news photographers returned chuckling after an early assignment because the defence minister, Peter Dutton, had been seen smiling, spontaneously, in daylight, apparently without effort.

Dutton smiling is a persistent Canberra in-joke. Back in 2018, when the right faction came for Malcolm Turnbull, and Dutton was the candidate, the hard man of the Liberal party thought - and said - he needed to smile more and maybe show a different side to what I show when I talk about border protection".

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