TONY Abbott has told his party to get ready for the fight of their lives after he was elected Liberal leader this morning.

In his first press conference after ousting Malcolm Turnbull, Mr Abbott said he was “humbled but exhilarated” by his new position.

He took a thinly veiled swipe at Mr Turnbull, promising to be a “consultative, collegial” leader. He said leaders who merely told colleagues what was happened whether they liked it or not would always find the going tough.

He then paid tribute to Mr Turnbull, whom he beat by just one vote in a shock result. “Malcolm has shone in adversity,” Mr Abbott said.

But it was an adversity largely of Mr Abbott’s making. He and Senator Nick Minchin have been the main agitators publicly for a change of direction in the Liberal Party’s stance on the fight against climate change.

A deal done last week by Mr Turnbull’s climate spokesman Ian Macfarlane sparked the turmoil which ultimately brought down Mr Turnbull and elevated Mr Abbott. Mr Turnbull had painted the division in the party as a fight for its soul, warning that the Liberals could not be seen as a party of do-nothing climate sceptics.

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