Updated 4:44pm, Wednesday August 20: Josh Willie has been named the new leader of the Tasmanian Labor Party.
Opposition Whip Meg Brown confirmed in a brief statement that Willie, an MP for the Hobart electorate of Clark, was elected unopposed.
Bass MP Janie Finlay was also elected deputy leader, without opposition.
The pair replace former Labor leader Dean Winter and deputy leader Anita Dow.
Willie is expected to front the media tomorrow.
Earlier: The left-faction of the Tasmanian Labor Party is meeting today to thrash out potential leadership options after the party’s failed bid to form government.
Senior Labor MPs and staff were spotted filing into Parliament House just before 9am on Wednesday, only hours after a no-confidence motion against the Liberal government fell flat.
Sources earlier told Pulse that both Josh Willie and Ella Haddad were in the mix for the top job.
But Haddad was voted out of the leadership talks this morning, with Willie put forward as the main contender.
Even so, caucus members are now trying to talk Willie into stepping aside to avoid what could turn into a messy state-wide ballot.
The pressure comes as Winter reportedly warned colleagues about the fallout of any challenge to his leadership.
One source claimed Winter has threatened to “blow up” the party if they try to roll him.
Labor had hoped to cobble together government despite winning only 10 seats at the recent state election, banking on crossbench support to install Winter as premier through the no-confidence motion.
But the party failed to lock in any crossbench backing, with several MPs taking aim at Winter’s unwillingness to negotiate or compromise.
Confirmation of Labor’s election defeat has automatically triggered a leadership spill under party rules, opening the door to a challenge against Winter.
With both Willie and Winter putting their hands up, Labor appears headed for a deadlock, with the leadership now likely to be decided through a state-wide ballot of party members.
