Australian deputy prime minister under pressure to resign
CANBERRA, Australia — Australia’s deputy prime minister was under mounting pressure Wednesday to resign as his party’s leader over revelations of a relationship with a former staffer.
Newspapers revealed last week that Barnaby Joyce and his former media adviser are expecting a baby together, and the scandal has angered many within Joyce’s conservative, rural-based Nationals party. As leader of the junior party in the governing coalition, Joyce is both the deputy prime minister and acting prime minister when the prime minister is overseas.
Nationals lawmaker Ken O’Dowd said he expected a party delegation would confront Joyce soon to consider his position.
“The party will probably talk to him and discuss the future of Barnaby and the future of the … party,” O’Dowd told reporters. “He’ll probably need the advice and someone needs to tell him where the party stands at this stage.”