Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan Faces Labor Leadership Challenge

Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan is facing a leadership challenge from within her own party four months before the November 28 state election. Factional convenors from the Right and Left of the Victorian Labor Party met on Sunday, July 26, and concluded that Allan no longer possesses the support of the caucus majority. The move stems from poor polling and the Premier's refusal to launch a royal commission into alleged corruption within the Big Build project.

Despite reports that a delegation will request her resignation on Monday, Allan has defied calls to step down and stated she will not resign. If she remains, a formal leadership challenge is expected during a caucus meeting on Tuesday. Deputy Premier Ben Carroll has emerged as the preferred candidate for the Right faction and some members of the Left. Although Carroll previously ruled out actively bringing the Premier down, he is now reconsidering his position on seeking the leadership after government MPs urged him to do so.

Loyalist ministers have pushed back against the unrest. Planning Minister Sonya Kilkenny dismissed the reports as idle gossip and maintained that Allan retains sufficient support to lead the government.