Leadership aspirant Angus Taylor resigned from the shadow cabinet on Wednesday night, but when the Liberal Party will vote on the leadership remained up in the air.

After a day of high tension in the party, Taylor went to Ley’s office to quit at about 7:15pm. But in the meeting he did not actually call for a spill or explicitly declare he was challenging.

Taylor, 59, from the right of the party, told the media later: “I don’t believe Sussan Ley is in a position to be able to lead the party as it needs to be led from here.

"The situation right now is devastating for Australians and for that reason we need to urgently restore confidence in the Liberal Party. That means we need strong leadership, clear direction and a relentless and courageous focus on our values.”

The party’s position under Ley had deteriorated to a point where it was weaker than at any time since it was formed in 1944, Taylor said.

He said he would “continue to serve the Liberal Party and to work towards getting it to where it needs to be if it is to have the strength to make a contribution to this great nation, the kind of contribution that it has traditionally made”.

Asked how he would be different from Ley, Taylor said: “You’ll hear more from me and others, I’m sure, in the coming days about that.”

A........

© The Conversation