Scott Morrison: ex-pm to take up cushy new job offer in UK defence sector
Scomo’s new job after the politics are revealed as the former prime minister is expected to take on an easy new role abroad
- Scott Morrison said he was considering a new job
- The role is for a defense company based in the UK
Scott Morrison could leave politics within weeks and take on a plum role in the UK defense sector, it has emerged.
The former Prime Minister has reportedly been questioned by a major British company working in the defense sector interested in his insights into AUKUS, the groundbreaking security pact he signed while in office with the UK and US.
Two sources close to him said he is considering the possible job offer.
“He won’t leave until he’s incarcerated, but it’s fair to say he’s actively looking for a life after politics,” one of them told the paper. The Sydney Morning Herald.
“It’s in the AUKUS space, based in the UK.”
Former Prime Minister Scott Morrison is considering a job in the UK defense sector
The unnamed company is reportedly curious about its insights into AUKUS, the groundbreaking security pact it signed while in office with the UK and US.
Mr Morrison is expected to leave front-line politics at some point after the May 9 budget and before the end of the year.
The job offer has yet to be finalised, but if it is made – and Mr Morrison accepts – the former prime minister would have to commute to the UK about once a month, while his family remains in Sydney.
Mr Morrison did not deny the allegations when approached for comment.
“I’m very involved in things in my local electorate and enjoy being back in my local community,” he said.
Mr Morrison’s departure would trigger a by-election in Cook’s seat, south of Sydney, which he held in the 2022 federal election with a two-party preference margin of 12.4 per cent.
The AUKUS deal will provide Australia with a fleet of eight nuclear-powered submarines by 2055 at a cost of $368 billion
Last November, Scott Morrison became the first Australian prime minister in history to be formally condemned by the House of Representatives following the ‘minister for everything’ scandal
In November last year, he became the first Australian prime minister in history to be formally condemned by the House of Representatives following the ‘minister for everything’ scandal.
Mr. Morrison was secretly sworn in as Treasurer and Home Secretary; finance; health; and industry, science, energy and raw materials in 2020 and 2021.
None of the ministers for these portfolios, except Greg Hunt for health, knew that he had secretly doubled their jobs.
Mr Morrison was roundly condemned, with some of the harshest criticism coming from his own party.
Karen Andrews’, the former Home Secretary who had no idea she was sharing her job with Mr Morrison, called for him to resign as Cook’s member.
“The Australian people have been abandoned, they have been betrayed,” she said last August.
As well as acknowledging that some – but not all – of the appointments were unnecessary, Mr Morrison strongly defended his actions in parliament and made no apology.
He claimed the unprecedented move was necessary at the time due to the uncertainty surrounding the Coronavirus crisis.
Mr Morrison said in February it has been ‘nice to be part of normal suburban life again’ since he left the Lodge.
“People come up to me every day and say thank you very much, not just for Covid, but especially for international issues, China, all these things,” he told the Daily telegram.
The AUKUS deal, which will give Australia a fleet of eight nuclear-powered submarines by 2055 at a cost of $368 billion, aims to counter China’s perceived dominance in the Pacific.
The Australian government estimates it will create 20,000 jobs over the next 30 years.