Australian opposition leader Sussan Ley, the first woman to head the Liberal Party, is under renewed pressure after the resignation of her shadow defence minister Angus Taylor.
His resignation paves the way for an expected leadership challenge. Local media say he has long been plotting to oust her.
Ley narrowly defeated Taylor in a leadership contest last year, after her party's worst ever election loss. But since then she has been plagued by poor poll numbers and infighting among the conservative Liberal-National coalition.
The coalition, a partnership dating back to the 1940s, has twice split and reunited under her leadership, further undermining her tenure.
Taylor - from the conservative faction of the party as opposed to Ley's moderate wing - announced he had quit the party leadership team, though he would continue to serve the Liberal Party.
We have failed to hold a bad Labor government to account, he told reporters, adding that the party needed to protect Australians' way of life and focus on restoring their standard of living.
He expressed doubts about Ley's capability to lead the party effectively moving forward. It remains unclear if Taylor's allies in Ley's shadow cabinet will follow suit with their own resignations.
According to local media, Taylor's supporters are expected to request a special party room meeting to discuss a potential spill motion, indicating that the party's leadership could be reconsidered.
A victory for Taylor would conclude months of speculation relating to Ley's leadership, which has seemed precarious.
The coalition recently reunited following a split over hate speech laws, which Ley advocated for after the Bondi Beach attack in December, while her Nationals colleagues opposed.
After recent polling indicated a surge for the populist One Nation party, which surpassed the Coalition in support, Ley's leadership appears increasingly in jeopardy. The coalition continues to struggle with internal disagreements and a lack of consensus regarding the reasons behind their large electoral defeat.
