Craig Kelly planning to quit the Australian Liberal Party as government braces for more defections, by Michael Koziol.

Liberal MP Craig Kelly plans to run as an independent at the next election and is being urged to quit the party immediately, in the latest blow to unity inside the Morrison government.

Mr Kelly did not rule out leaving the Liberals before the election, but told Fairfax Media on Wednesday night he would not defect before Parliament rises for the year on December 6. …

Mr Kelly — a conservative MP from southern Sydney — has privately conceded he has no chance of retaining preselection in the face of a push by moderate Liberal members who have the numbers to remove him. …

A senior Liberal source confirmed the party was delaying the preselection in Hughes as long as possible in case Mr Kelly went rogue, but they would be forced to bring it forward if he quits and joins the crossbench.

Craig Kelly is among the very best on the issue of climate change, and seems to have a fair grasp of the reality and enormity of what is happening.

The Liberal Party is going to replace Craig Kelly as its nominated member with Kent Johns:

Kent Johns is the Party’s Vice President but in 1995 he was elected as a Labor Councillor for Rockdale. In 2002 he resigned from Labor and joined the Liberal Party. He was elected as a Liberal Councillor in 2004 in Sutherland Council and today he is rallying up support for pre-selection for the seat of Hughes.

The left within the party are not even trying to hide their hatred towards Conservatism, the fact they have put a former labor stooge against a conservative firebrand such as Craig Kelly demonstrates that they will do anything to destroy any right wing element of the Party.