Australia

Australia is to have a new prime minister after Tony Abbott was ousted as leader of the Liberal Party following a hastily arranged drinking competition.

Cabinet minister Malcolm Turnbull is said to have requested the drinking competition following doubts about Mr Abbott’s ability to successfully drink enough beer to remain a credible Australian Prime Minister.

“It became clear to me that I had to act after I saw Tony drink a small glass of sherry instead of several pints of the old amber fluid,” said the new Prime Minister. I thought it was a bloody disgrace to the proud ideals of Australian democracy and so I acted.”

Mr Turnbull becomes the fourth Australian Prime Minister since 2013 after Kevin Rudd ordered a glass of beer instead of a pint and Julia Gillard was outed as a woman.