Jacinta Allan expected to face leadership challenge after Labor factions meet

Just four months out from the Victorian election, factional conveners from Labor’s left and right met on Sunday night to discuss whether the premier, Jacinta Allan, still had the support of a majority of Labor’s caucus. Photograph: Joel Carrett/AAP View image in fullscreen Just four months out from the Victorian election, factional conveners from Labor’s left and right met on Sunday night to discuss whether the premier, Jacinta Allan, still had the support of a majority of Labor’s caucus. Photograph: Joel Carrett/AAP Jacinta Allan expected to face leadership challenge after Victorian Labor factions meet Minister says premier ‘not going anywhere’ and describes leaking of Sunday night meeting as attempt to build momentum for spill Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast The Victorian Labor premier, Jacinta Allan , is expected to face a leadership challenge when state parliament resumes this week. Just four months out from a state election, factional conveners from Labor’s left and right met on Sunday night to discuss whether Allan still had the support of a majority of the caucus. It is understood the group agreed she did not. But the pathway to a challenge remains unclear, as Allan’s most likely opponent – the deputy premier, Ben Carroll – has indicated to colleagues he would only run for the leadership if the position was vacant. One option being floated by the factions on Sunday was for a group of ministers to approach Allan on Monday ahead of a planned cabinet meeting to inform her she had lost the support of her colleagues. Sign up for the Breaking News Australia email It was their hope that she would stand down ahead of a vote during Tuesday’s caucus meeting, the first day of parliament following the winter break. Organised crime, cost and the CFMEU: why Victoria’s construction scandal is threatening to derail a government Read more However, if Allan contested a leadership ballot, the entire Victorian Labor membership would also get a vote in a weeks-long process, thanks to rule changes introduced following the instability of the Rudd-Gillard-Rudd era. The rules have been untested at a state level. One minister close to Allan maintained she was “not going anywhere” and described the leaking of the meeting as an attempt to build momentum for a spill. The attorney general, Sonya Kilkenny, a key supporter of the premier, said leadership speculation was “idle gossip” earlier on Sunday. “She has my full support, and this idle gossip doesn’t help Victorians,” Kilkenny said. “It is only hurting Victorians at a time when Victorians need us all to be focused on them, and that is exactly what Jacinta Allan and our Labor government, our team, is doing.” Allan became premier following the resignation of Daniel Andrews in September 2023. Momentum had been building for a leadership spill before parliament rose for a winter break in June due to poor polling and Allan’s weak personal