Former NSW Planning and Education Minister Rob Stokes is weighing up whether to run for the federal seat of MacKellar after being approached by Liberal figures to take on Independent Sophie Scamps as the party looks at ways to break through the Teal wall in 2025.
Sky News understands that party figures have approached Mr Stokes, who retired as the state member for Pittwater this year, as polling suggests he would have a good chance of taking the seat, which Ms Scamps holds by 2.5 per cent.
Former NSW Liberal Rob Stokes is looking to come out of retirement and run for the next federal election in 2025. Picture: NCA Newswire / Gaye Gerard The Liberal party lost its traditionally safe-held seats of MacKellar, Wentworth, North Sydney, Kooyong, Goldstein and Curtin to so-called Teal Independents in the Scott Morrison loss of 2022.A large impediment to Peter Dutton winning government is that to get there, senior Liberals believe beating Labor in the outer suburbs and the regions will not be enough and the Coalition will need to win at least some Independent seats back.
At present, in the House of Representatives - after Labor took the Aston by-election from the Liberals - Labor has 78 seats, the Coalition just 56 with crossbenchers and the Greens holding 17 seats. Peter Dutton therefore would need to win a whopping 20 seats to win a majority.
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