Former Australian PM resigns from parliament
(FASTNEWS|COLOMBO) Australia’s former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull on Friday resigned from parliament, a source familiar with the matter said, stripping the government of its one-seat parliamentary majority.
Turnbull last week said he would resign from parliament after he was ousted from office in a bitter party-room contest which ushered in the country’s sixth leader in the last decade.
“The speaker of the house of parliament received a resignation letter from Malcolm Turnbull this afternoon,” said a source familiar with the matter. The source declined to be named as she is not authorised to talk to the media.Until a by-election can be contested, Australia’s new Prime Minister Scott Morrison is left relying on the support of independent lawmakers to pass legislation, inhibiting the government’s agenda just eight months out from an election.