Mark Speakman resigns LIVE updates: Kellie Sloane frontrunner to lead NSW Liberal Party as Speakman steps down

Mark Speakman’s tenure as NSW Liberal leader began in April 2023 after a 12-year Coalition was turfed out, and he has struggled in the polls ever since.

The party’s primary vote has been languishing at 28 per cent in the past two Resolve Political Monitor surveys conducted for the Herald. The result has been partly responsible for the anxiety surrounding the leadership.

Oddly, one of Speakman’s best personal results came in the latest Resolve survey. As state political editor Alexandra Smith reported, his standing as preferred premier rose 3 percentage points to 19 per cent – not high, but the best it has been. Premier Chris Minns’ standing, meanwhile, slipped 6 percentage points to 31.