Liberals hit back at election review ‘whitewash’ that attempts to blame incumbents for losing seats

Former Liberal MP says problem was party ran a presidential campaign around ‘one of most unpopular leaders in Australian history’

Liberals have hit back at their party’s election review, calling it a “whitewash” designed to shift blame on to defeated MPs in order to downplay the unpopularity of Scott Morrison.

Despite the review acknowledging that the choice between Morrison and Anthony Albanese was “the most influential driver of voting intention”, critics have taken aim at a controversial finding that “some (not all) local members did not maximise the advantages of incumbency”.

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