Tim Wilson is considering throwing his name into the hat for the leadership role in the Liberal Party.
Mr Wilson revealed he was ‘open’ to the role, meaning he would be going up against Angus Taylor and Sussan Ley.
He told Sky News last week it was an option, and confirmed he will make an announcement on Monday.
‘I’m immensely privileged to have been in the position that I’ve got to,’ Mr Wilson said.
‘I’ve seen my name being bandied around, but I’m literally just focused on the task at hand.
‘But I want to make this clear, I didn’t go back into parliament just to sit around. I got elected because I believe this country has a bold, ambitious, liberal future.
‘We must make the case and we must be unapologetic in making that case.’
Mr Wilson won back his bayside Melbourne seat of Goldstein at the federal election, beating Teal Zoe Daniel.
Tim Wilson (pictured with Peter Dutton) is considering throwing his name into the hat for the leadership role in the Liberal Party
Liberal leadership contender Angus Taylor (pictured) will run with Senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price as his deputy
In the federal election, Mr Wilson is the only Liberal MP to oust a teal MP.
The Liberal MP said he would wait until after the Nationals contest before deciding whether to run for the Liberal.
Nationals MPs will vote on Monday in Canberra to decide between existing leader David Littleproud or Matt Canavan.
During his political career, the economic conservative successfully spearheaded the fight against former Labor leader Bill Shorten’s franking credits reforms.
He is also a marriage equality advocate and, in 2016, proposed to his partner on the floor of Parliament while declaring his support for same-sex marriage reforms.
‘In my first speech, I defined our bond by the ring that sits on both of our left hands. They (the rings) are the answer to the question we cannot ask,’ Mr Wilson said.
‘So there is only one thing left to do. Ryan Patrick Bolger, will you marry me?’
Sussan Ley (pictured) has been the deputy leader of the Liberal Party since May 2022
Mr Bolger accepted the proposal with cheers erupting in Parliament.
Many MPs have already pledged their support to Mr Taylor or Ms Ley so it’s unclear how many would vote for Mr Wilson.
However, former NSW Liberal Party president Jason Falinski has vocally called on Mr Wilson to stand.
‘You just know with Tim Wilson that from day one he will be out there fighting for the soul of the nation, trying to win the hearts and minds of all Australians, not taking the lazy option of a small target strategy that waits for Labor, the Greens and the teals to lose the faith of people,’ Falinski wrote in The Australian Financial Review on Sunday.
‘Tim Wilson is not the messiah, but he is someone who has walked through the valley of death and come out the other side. That changes you.’
On Sunday, Northern Territory senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price announced she would run as Mr Taylor’s deputy.
Mr Taylor is being backed by the right faction while Ms Ley is being supported by party moderates.
