BREAKING: NSW Deputy Premier And Nationals Leader John Barilaro Resigns

In the wake of Gladys Berejiklian bombshell resignation last week, further breaking news for New South Wales politics with John Barilaro announcing he is stepping down too. 

Mr Barilaro declared his resignation as Deputy Premier on Monday morning.

Barilaro said he had always planned to resign after the state reopened, but Friday’ revelations brought his timeline forward.

“I have to be honest, what occurred on Friday has not played in any part in the decision that I’ve made,” he said.

"Many of you guys have been pushing me [about if I was leaving]. Unfortunately, I have not been able to be honest with you, but I’ve been thinking about this for a while”

"It would be unfair and not right to go down to Government House, get sworn in and only weeks later to step aside,” Mr Barilaro conceded.

The Deputy Premier, said that reasoning behind his resignation from politics is in part a response to the public defamation case against Youtuber Jordan Shanks.

“That in itself, can I say, was very difficult this year, and to be able to defend myself and continue with that case, I prefer to do it privately and not in the public eye. That has been a big reason for announcement, along with the opportunity that to reopen, now is the moment to refresh"

When asked by a reporter if more scandals were going to be exposed, Mr Barilaro said we will see what occurs in the months to come.

"The first rule of fight club is not to talk about fight club. A great movie. The truth is this, if you are being subpoenaed by ICAC, you can’t talk about it. Leave the ICAC stuff alone, it is an independent body that needs to make a judgement on issues"

Thanking the people of regional and rural New South Wales, Mr Barilaro said it had been a privilege to be their staunch supporter.

“To be their voice and hope… we’ve enjoyed some tough days - throughout the worst drought in regional New South Wales in recorded history, then the bushfires, floods, the mice plague, and then the global pandemic of Covid hitting not only the regions but our state, the nation and the globe"

“And I hope in that time you could see that not only did I shed tears with you, but I actually tried hard to make sure that we together were able to find hope and light for this state,” he said.

The Deputy has called a Party Room meeting on Wednesday where he'll formally step down as Nationals leader.

It’s understood there will also be a by-election for his south-coast seat of Monaro, as he quits politics for good.

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