Perrottet was forced to make the humiliating public admission on Thursday after it was raised in a private conversation with Transport Minister David Elliott on Tuesday. It followed days of tension between the pair over several issues,including the future of poker machines.
On Thursday,one senior minister,speaking on the condition of anonymity,said it was an “internal hit job” against the premier. The minister said Perrottet had no option or he would have been “left compromised by one of his own”.