Bruce Lehrmann slams Scott Morrison and Labor Party elites after Brittany Higgins’ rape allegations

Bruce Lehrmann has taunted former Prime Minister Scott Morrison by claiming Australia would be better off if he left politics for good.

Mr Lehrmann, who worked as a political staffer for the Liberal Party during Mr Morrison’s administration, unleashed the man he served under during a telling interview with 7News Spotlight on Sunday evening.

He had broken his two-year media silence to give his version of events to the rape allegations leveled against him by former colleague Brittany Higgins.

Ms Higgins claims she was raped by Mr Lehrmann in the House of Parliament after a night out in 2019. Mr. Lehrmann has always maintained his innocence.

The program also played a recording days prior to Ms Higgins’ February 15, 2021, interview on The Project – when she first made her rape allegations.

At the meeting, Lisa Wilkinson named Labor heavyweights Anthony Albanese and Tanya Plibersek, insisting that the pair could raise the issue during question time.

Mr Lehrmann had remained silent about the allegations against him, speaking only in a taped police interview in 2021 – which was played back to the ACT Supreme Court during his criminal trial last October.

Now he has responded to some direct questions from interviewer Liam Bartlett, including: Did you rape Brittany Higgins? Did you have consensual sex? Did you kiss her? Were you intimate with her at all?

Mr. Lehrmann answered ‘no’ to every question.

However, the former policy adviser took the opportunity to criticize Scott Morrison’s leadership.

“The sooner Mr Morrison is out of parliament the better for our country,” he said.

When asked his opinion on Mr Morrison’s formal apology to Brittany Higgins in Parliament last February, Mr Lehrmann said: ‘That was a disgrace.’

The former prime minister’s apologies were also directed to other women who allegedly suffered beatings in federal parliament.

Speaking directly to Mrs Higgins at the time, he said: ‘I am sorry Mrs Higgins for the terrible things that have happened here. And that what should have been a place of safety and contribution turned out to be a nightmare.”

Bruce Lehrmann has slammed former Prime Minister Scott Morrison (pictured), claiming Australia would be in a better place if he left politics for good

The episode also aired for the first time a vision of Mr Lehrmann and Mrs Higgins arriving at Parliament House just before she claimed he had raped her.

Mrs Higgins friend David Sharaz (pictured together) asked if Mrs Wilkinson had ‘friendly MPs’ who could ‘ask questions during Question Time’

Ms Higgins and her friend David Sharaz had a five hour luncheon with Lisa Wilkinson and Channel 10 producer Angus Llewellyn a few days prior to her interview on The Project where the group could be heard laughing and joking about the inner workings of Parliament House .

They also mocked a former colleague’s surname, calling Mr Lehrmann a “predator” – despite the unproven allegations.

At one point during the meeting, Mr Sharaz asked Wilkinson if she knew of “friendly MPs” who could “put questions at Question Time” in Parliament.

“Oh, sure Albo,” Mrs. Wilkinson replied, adding, “Tanya Plibersek, sure.”

Ms Plibersek rejected any claims that Wilkinson approached her or told her what to ask during question time during an interview with Sunrise presenter Natalie Barr on Monday.

“No, not by then, but I was in contact with Brittany to check on her well-being,” the environment minister said.

“I was very worried about her, I was very worried about her indeed.”

Lisa Wilkinson mentioned politicians during an unofficial, five-hour ‘pre-interview’ with Ms Higgins ahead of the airing of the bombshell allegations on The Project on February 15, 2021

Barr continued to press Ms Plibersek and asked that Ms Higgins approach her to raise the subject in Question Time.

“No one tells me what to ask in question time,” she replied.

‘I can’t remember anything like that. She’s a very upset and fragile young woman that I was checking up on, that’s my involvement here.’

Tanya Plibersek and Anthony Albanese asked five questions about Ms Higgins in Question Time, just one day after Lisa Wilkinson aired Ms Higgins’ sexual assault allegations on The Project on February 15, 2021.

Mr Lehrmann was tried in October last year at a 12-day hearing, but was overturned after a juror brought banned literature to the court.

Shane Drumgold, ACT’s Director of Public Prosecutions, dropped the case altogether in December over concerns about Ms Higgins’ mental health.