Mark Latham’s meltdown on election night included a disappearing act during Channel 7’s live broadcast when he walked out without a word to co-hosts, leaving behind his bag and keys.
Insiders who witnessed the bizarre incident in the lead-up to his “vile” tweet controversy have told news.com.au that he simply unclipped his lapel microphone and walked out the studio.
“He just left. I thought he was going to the bathroom,’’ a witness said.
“But he left in such a hurry he forgot his bag and keys.”
Witnesses claim Mr Latham left the building without speaking to host Michael Usher, political editor Mark Riley, NSW political reporter Amelia Brace or several other MPs on the panel.
Ms Brace then slipped into his place as the broadcast continued without him.
But they claim Mr Latham, who lives in Western Sydney, then returned to the studio after midnight after realising he had left personal items when he staged his hurried exit.
Mark Latham reportedly walked out on Channel 7’s live broadcast on election night without a word to co-hosts, before driving back after midnight to pick up his personal items. Picture: 7 News
NSW political reporter Amelia Brace (right) slipped into his place on the panel after he failed to return. Picture: Seven
News.com.au has reached out to Mr Latham for comment.
Earlier, Mr Latham had lashed guests and the Premier-elect Chris Minns who he claimed was “nervous” at the last election.
“He was sitting over there next to me absolutely pooping his pants that he was going to lose his seat,’’ Mr Latham said.
“I spent part of the night reassuring him he was probably OK.”
Mr Latham also called Climate 200 founder Simon Holmes a Court “a complete and utter fraud” during a tense interview on the night.
The NSW One Nation leader is facing widespread backlash over a homophobic tweet directed at gay Sydney MP Alex Greenwich.
One Nation leader Pauline Hanson has already asked Mr Latham to apologise over his “disgusting” tweet.
To date he has not done so and has not surfaced since the furore.
“I’ve actually tried to ring Mark a couple of times to no avail and I have clearly sent a text message to him, telling him my views, and I’ve also asked him to give the people an apology,” Ms Hanson said in a video clip.
Reporter Amelia Brace is seen taking Latham’s place far right after his disappearing act. Outgoing MPs David Elliott and Melinda Pavey and Seven’s Michael Usher and Labor MP Jo Haylen were also on the panel (left to right). Picture: Seven
Mr Latham’s current controversies follow a string of public meltdowns dating back over 20 years.
After leading the Labor Party to a crushing defeat in 2004, Mr Latham shaved his head before appearing in a suburban park to announce he was quitting Parliament and politics.
He also published The Latham Diaries, a scathing memoir where he described the respected former Labor leader Kim Beazley as “a dirty dog” who is “not fit to clean the toilets at Parliament House”.
In the book, he described former Prime Minister Kevin Rudd in the book as “a fanatical media networker” claiming he was “addicted to it, worse than heroin”.
In 2006, Mr Latham escaped a criminal conviction after pleading guilty to maliciously damaging a news photographer’s $6,700 camera.
The magistrate said both he and the photographer had been “out of line” before their clash outside a Sydney fast food restaurant.
He left his job as a columnist for the Australian Financial Review in August 2015 after using Twitter to attack Australian of the year, Rosie Batty, and the journalists Anne Summers, Leigh Sales, Lisa Pryor, Mia Freedman and Annabel Crabb.
He later tweeted: “The Dismissal: The AFR has sacked poor Latho, who has retired to Mt Hunter Lodge for a rump steak (medium-rare). Maintain The Page.”
Latham is no stranger to controversy. Picture: Lisa Maree Williams/Getty Images
The NSW One Nation Leader targeted Sydney MP Alex Greenwich (above) with a homophobic tweet. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Damian Shaw
Mr Latham then joined Sky News’ Outsiders program in 2016, before he was sacked after calling students at Sydney Boys’ High “d**kheads” and speculating that he thought one teenager “was gay”.
He also wrote a cookbook with broadcaster Alan Jones, Conversations in the Kitchen, a no-frills cookbook for men described by The Sydney Morning Herald as “Women’s Weekly for men’s rights activists”.
In 2015, The Australian reported that Mr Latham’s “crumbling media career could be beyond salvation, industry experts believe, after his week-long public meltdown.”
They were wrong.
Just months later in October, 2015 he debuted on Channel Nine’s “The Verdict”, a new late-night talk show.
There was also an expletive-laden performance at the Melbourne Writers Festival, leading to comparisons with his public struggles in the months after losing the 2004 federal election as opposition leader.
At the time, Ten news chief Peter Meakin said he did not have the money to offer him a role, but would not rule it out in the future.
“I think a lot of what Mark Latham says makes sense. It’s a shame. I think on television he’s quite a talent, but dangerous,” he said.
“I haven’t got much to hire him for. Money aside, I think most people would say he’s blown-up his media career, but I wouldn’t. I think in the right program he could still be a considerable asset, but there would be episodes of trouble and I think he quite likes that.”
In 2018, he has announced a return to politics and plans to run for NSW Parliament for Pauline Hanson’s One Nation Party.
Warning “men” and “white people” are being discriminated against, Mr Latham confirmed he would run for the NSW Legislative Council.
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“This is a fight for our civilisational values. Free speech, merit selection, resilience, love of the country all of them under siege from the Left,” he told 2GB radio.
“So it’s a big fight, as we say every week, I’m at a position and a stage in life where I just can’t stand on the sideline talking about I want to get stuck in as a legislator and as a Parliamentarian.”