Former party leader Barnaby Joyce will leave the Nationals after what he said was an irreparable breakdown in the relationship amid speculation of a defection to One Nation.

The announcement comes hours after reports rose that the New England MP was in "advanced talks" with Pauline Hanson's conservative party .

While Joyce did not confirm the move, he said his decision to part with the Nationals was over policy differences.

"My relationship with the leadership of the Nationals in Canberra has unfortunately, like a sadness in some marriages, irreparably broken down," he said in a statement.

"The instructions that during the federal election I was not to campaign outside New England as that did not represent the views of the Nationals, then after the election being moved on for 'ge

See Full Page