Andrew Hastie firms as Liberal leadership challenger amid push for Ley to step aside

Colleagues encourage former soldier to run as Sussan Ley declares she will remain opposition leader after Coalition split

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Andrew Hastie is emerging as a candidate to challenge Sussan Ley for the Liberal party's leadership, as MPs privately push for the party's first female leader to step aside.

As a defiant Ley declared she would survive the fallout from the latest Coalition split, internal rivals were adamant she had lost the support of the party room. This is despite the Nationals leader, David Littleproud, being blamed for the break-up.