CANBERRA, Feb. 12 (Xinhua) -- Angus Taylor confirmed he plans to stand for Australian Liberal leadership on Thursday, as more shadow ministers quit from the Liberal leader Sussan Ley's front bench on Thursday to back him.

Australia's then Minister for Energy and Emissions Reduction Angus Taylor inspects a hydrogen pumping station in Melbourne on November 9, 2021 at the government's launch of it's Future Fuels strategy. (File photo: AFP)

"Our country is in trouble," he said, "I'm running to be the leader of the Liberal Party. Because I believe that Australia is worth fighting for."

As of Thursday morning, a total of six shadow ministers have resigned from Sussan Ley's front bench to call for a leadership spill.

Local media revealed that a spill motion has been given to Ley, and a party room meeting to hold a spill is in prospect.

Taylor resigned from Ley's front bench on Wednesday, following recent opinion polls that have shown voter support for the Liberal Party has fallen further under Ley's leadership.

Ley has led the Liberal Party since May 2025, when she narrowly beat Taylor in a ballot after the party suffered its worst-ever result at a general election earlier in the same month.