Australian news and politics live: Angus Taylor quits frontbench ahead of potential leadership spill

WELL, we’re wrapping up our live coverage for the day but the week’s news is far from over.

For a full wrap of all the Liberal leadership drama, ​click here​.

If you’re partial to recapping the day’s events as they took place, feel free to scroll through the blog posts below.

Friday looks like it’s shaping up as the most likely day for any potential leadership spill, given the complication of Senate estimates this week.

Stay tuned and we’ll be back with our rolling coverage - including all the drama at Canberra - first thing tomorrow morning.

Our photographer Gary Ramage was on hand to catch all the action.

In his final comments, Mr Taylor admist the Liberals must do better.

“I think we’ve all got to do better. The party has to do better. We have let Australians down.

“We hear time and time again that the Liberal party needs to do better. I fully understand that and that is why I think the current situation is unsustainable, and it’s why I’ve made the very difficult - just hear me out - that’s why I’ve made the very difficult decision that I have tonight.

“But I tell you what, I am absolutely committed to restoring confidence in the Liberal party to ensure that Australians regain confidence in the Liberal party and steering the Liberal party back to where it needs to be - if we are to have the strong Australia that I so much believe in.”

“This is about my resignation,” he says.

“That’s what I’m talking about here.”

So no word on when a potential leadership spill may be, but Mr Taylor promises we’ll hear more from him “and others” in the coming days.

“The focus will be on restoring our standard of living and protecting our way of life. That’s what Australians want to see,” he says.

“And you’ll hear more from me and others, I’m sure, in the coming days about that.”

“What we need right now is strong leadership, clear direction and a courageous focus on our values,” he says.

“And the first two priorities should be protecting our way of life and restoring our standard of living.

“I think Australians have seen failures on that under this Labor Government. They clearly have and they want better. And we see that in our communities. We see that wherever we go that will be the focus.”

“I think Australians generally understand that a strong Australia means a strong Liberal Party,” he says.

“We must have a strong Liberal Party if we’re going to have a strong democracy in this country and we’re going to hold this bad Labor government to account.

“I don’t believe Sussan Ley is in a position to be able to lead the party, as it needs to be led from here. I have just a few moments ago tendered my resignation. I will continue to serve the Liberal Party and to work towards getting it to where it needs to be.”

Angus Taylor is speaking live now, explaining his decision to quit the Liberal frontbench.

“I’ve sought to be a constructive member of the leadership team, supported Sussan Ley’s leadership in a difficult time when we needed a rebuild of the party,” he says.

“But we can’t mince with words. The Liberal Party is at the worst position it has been since 1944, when the party was formed. That is a confronting reality and we cannot ignore it.”

Angus Taylor has walked the short distance from his office to Susan Ley’s suite where he’s expected to tell her he’s lost faith in her leadership, and will challenge for the top job.

It came after he joined Ms Ley for the Liberals’ regular leadership team meeting on Wednesday morning.

Over the past two weeks Ms Ley’s allies have repeatedly highlighted the fact Mr Taylor hadn’t quit the frontbench and remained in the leadership grouping as evidence he wasn’t challenging.

Resigning as Shadow Defence Minister will allow Mr Taylor to formally canvass support from Liberal colleagues to contest the leadership.

Opposition Leader Sussan Ley has welcomed the chance to meet with Israeli President Isaac Herzog on Wednesday afternoon, saying the pair discussed how to “strengthen our alliance” during her sit down at Parliament House.

“President Herzog’s visit to Australia is an important opportunity to reset and strengthen a strained bilateral relationship,” she said.

“At moments like this, mature leadership calls for cooperation, respect and a reaffirmation of shared democratic values. This visit provides a constructive platform to rebuild trust and deepen engagement.

“It is deeply disappointing to see protests surrounding this visit in the aftermath of a national tragedy.

“While peaceful protest is a democratic right, the timing and tone of these demonstrations risk compounding division at a moment that calls for unity and reflection.

“The focus right now should be on supporting victims and their families, rejecting antisemitism in all its forms and reinforcing the social cohesion that underpins our nation. That’s what we’re determined to do”.

Liberal leader Sussan Ley has emerged from a meeting with Israel’s visiting President, as she prepares for the resignation of her rival Angus Taylor.

Following Question Time on Wednesday Ms Ley met with President Isaac Herzog inside Parliament House, before returning to her office just before 5pm Canberra time.

Mr Taylor has also spent this afternoon in his office, discussing his imminent resignation from the shadow frontbench before a leadership challenge to Ms Ley.