WA Opposition Leader concedes defeat just two weeks out from election

• WA Liberal leader Zak Kirkup has conceded defeat in the upcoming March 13 election amid fears that his party could be decimated by an overwhelming Labor win
• With Premier Mark McGowan widely considered the favourite, Kirkup warned that a landslide defeat could leave the Liberals with just a handful of seats
• McGowan’s approval ratings have soared to staggering highs over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic
• A recent poll forecast a 12.5 per cent swing to Labor, which would leave the Liberal Party with just two Lower House seats if such a shift was replicated across all electorates
• Labor already holds 40 lower house seats compared to the Liberal party’s 13

WA Liberal leader Zak Kirkup has conceded defeat in the upcoming March 13 election amid fears that his party could be decimated by an overwhelming Labor win.

He acknowledged that Premier Mark McGowan was the clear favourite and said the Liberals could be left holding just a handful of seats.

“I have to be real with the people of Western Australia, and they are telling me that they expect Mark McGowan will still be Premier,” Kirkup said.

“That doesn’t mean we stop fighting, that doesn’t mean we stop working to get as many Liberals over the line as possible. A Liberal party reduced to single digits, that is a significant concern.”

As I get around the state, many West Aussies are telling me Mark McGowan’s job is safe.

We have to acknowledge that, because I don’t want to treat people like mugs.

I’m not going to stop fighting, but I’m not going to pretend & make this election about something it’s not.

— Zak Kirkup MP (@zrfk) February 24, 2021

McGowan’s approval ratings have soared to staggering highs over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, and Labor has used his popularity as a powerful tool in their state election campaign.

Kirkup took over the Liberal Party in November after Liza Harvey’s resignation, making him the third Opposition Leader in 18 months.

A poll published in The Australian last weekend forecast a 12.5 per cent swing to Labor, which would leave the Liberal Party with just two Lower House seats if such a shift was replicated across all electorates.

Labor already holds 40 lower house seats compared to the Liberal party’s 13.