Michael McLaren has called out the Victorian Liberal Party for being too busy backstabbing one another to notice the major changes in the electorate.

His comments come after reports that sitting MPs were among a group of 70 from the State Council who had called for the resignation of Party President Phil Davis.

“The climax of the lunacy had to be the legal rumble between the former leader, John Pesutto, and the high-profile upper house MP Moira Deeming … that whole sideshow was a debacle,” he said.

McLaren also pointed out that the current state of play in Victoria would normally have seen the party leading the polls with their primary vote in the 40s, but “changes in the electorate and modern politics” now see them sitting at a “sad” third place.

“What a pity that by constantly looking at each other and then over their own shoulders, the modern Liberal team failed to notice,” he added.

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