Defeated opposition leader Peter Dutton has laid significant blame for the Coalition’s election loss at the feet of Liberal MP Andrew Hastie in explosive secret submissions to the party’s election review that accuse Hastie of going “on strike” and fumbling key policies.

After he stunned colleagues by quitting leader Sussan Ley’s frontbench on Friday, Hastie’s exit opened the door to speculation about Ley’s leadership as MPs return to Canberra on Tuesday, likely dulling the opposition’s attacks on the government on the Optus saga and the repatriation of so-called ISIS brides .

The West Australian’s social media musings on net zero by 2050 and migration have excited some colleagues but they have led others to question his strategic nous and his interest in keeping the party on the rail

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