Who is Angus Taylor? New South Wales MP becomes Liberal Party's new leader after defeating Sussan Ley in partyroom vote

Angus Taylor is a senior Australian politician who represents the New South Wales seat of Hume in federal parliament. A member of the Liberal Party, he has held several key roles, including energy minister and shadow treasurer, and is known for his strong views on economic management, energy policy, and cost-of-living issues. Taylor has a background in economics and business, having worked as a management consultant before entering politics. He was elected Liberal leader after defeating Sussan Ley 34-17 in a partyroom vote, positioning himself as a reset figure for the party. Moments later, Ley announced she would step away from politics, a decision that will trigger a by-election in her seat.

Soon after becoming the Liberals’ new leader, Taylor made it clear in his first speech that he wanted to take an Australia-first approach, but the opposition leader also stressed he is not enthusiastic about imposing tariffs.

"I don't like tariffs. I don't like the tariffs being imposed on Australia. And I'm going to continue to fight for access to markets for our resources, our miners, our farmers, manufacturers, our service providers," Taylor said as quoted by ABC News Australia.



Ley, the first woman to hold the role, was removed after just nine months and is set to resign from parliament, bringing an end to her 25-year political career. Jane Hume was elected deputy leader, becoming the first senator to hold the position since 1990. According to ABC News, it marked Taylor’s second bid for the Liberal leadership, after he narrowly lost a previous challenge to Ley by 25-29 in the wake of the Coalition’s election defeat last year.

Ahead of the vote, Taylor said his focus would be 'protecting our way of life and restoring our standard of living, framing his leadership around economic security and cost-of-living pressures, reported ABC News. Elected in 2013 as the Liberal MP for Hume, he is a former consultant, agribusiness entrepreneur, and father of four. Under the Malcolm Turnbull and Scott Morrison governments, Taylor worked on myGov reforms and served as energy and emissions reductions minister from 2018 to 2022.

According to The Guardian, Taylor traces his Australian roots to the 19th century, when his ancestors migrated from Yorkshire and settled near what is now Mount Taylor, close to Parliament House. His grandfather, engineer Sir William Hudson, helped drive the Snowy Mountains hydroelectric scheme.

Born in Cooma and raised near Nimmitabel in NSW, Taylor lost his mother, Anne, to cancer in her late 40s, reported The Guardian. Educated at The King’s School, he excelled academically and athletically, earning a Rhodes scholarship to University of Oxford, where he studied economics.