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Here is Barnaby Joyce casually playing catch with a piece of coal in question time back in 2017 (it had been brought in by Scott Morrison)

It’s nice they get to play together again

Here was how Michael McCormack spent what turned out to be his last week in the job:

Michael McCormack was deputy prime minister for 1,215 days – and in that time was unable to convince his party he could win them an election, which is why Barnaby Joyce was able to wait in the wings. Joyce’s leadership ambitions were never neutralised because McCormack didn’t make a single mark in more than three years.

Homespun homilies and attacks on coffee and the inner city is not leadership. Other than “we’re getting on with the job”, does anyone know what McCormack stood for?

That’s the reason Joyce is back.

Anthony Albanese has responded:

A couple of readers have contacted me saying they received a phone poll about a month ago asking whether they would vote for the Coalition if Barnaby Joyce were re-elected Nationals leader. They’re in Coalition electorates, they tell me.

Just an interesting side note.

Sarah Martin says Michael McCormack left the room saying it had been a privilege to serve and this is what democracy looks like.

Then there will be a cabinet reshuffle – Darren Chester, for instance, will be moved back to the backbench, given that there is no love lost between Barnaby Joyce and Chester, and Bridget McKenzie will probably be moved back to the ministry.

McKenzie stepped down over a “conflict of interest” during the sports rorts affair. But she has been very keen to return to the ministry.

Keith Pitt will probably stay, given that he played a role in kicking this whole thing off. Matt Canavan will most likely get a choice about whether he wants to return.

And there will most likely be some sort of discussion with Scott Morrison about the Coalition agreement – the secret agreement between the two parties that binds them but of which we’re not allowed to know the details.

The governor general will have to swear Barnaby Joyce in as deputy to make it all official, but that has happened virtually lately, so there shouldn’t be too much of a hold-up.

Nationals whip Damian Drum confirms Barnaby Joyce as the new leader (which is how people used to find out, because mobile phones):

There was a spill motion put forward. The spill motion was carried. We had an election. And Barnaby Joyce has been elected leader of the National party at a federal level and will therefore be going through the various situations that he has to go through. He has to go through a process now to be sworn in, to have all the conversations, to talk to the prime minister, and effectively get on with the job of representing our people.

Barnaby Joyce just got a $222,000 (or so) pay rise with that vote.

*I was previously using old tribunal remuneration figures for this – but as a wise blog watcher pointed out, the DPM pay is 105% on top of the base backbencher pay of $211,500 as at the last determination.

Meanwhile, will Barnaby Joyce continue to push for the Murugappan family to go home to Biloela now that he is returning to the $433,575 deputy PM job?

It has been 1,215 days since Barnaby Joyce was last in the deputy prime minister role.

He stepped down after a sexual harassment allegation was made against him. A six-month investigation by the National party into the allegation was unable to reach a conclusion.

You’ll find the results of that investigation here:

This is some excellent game face from earlier this morning.

He had more votes than toes. What a world.

It’s confirmed.

Barnaby Joyce has been returned as Nationals leader.

Which will make him the deputy prime minister.

Again.