Jacinta Allan resigns, Ben Carroll to lead Victoria

Jacinta Allan has resigned as Premier of Victoria, clearing the way for her deputy, Ben Carroll, to assume the state's leadership uncontested. Allan announced her decision on Tuesday, July 28, 2026, ahead of a scheduled Labor Party caucus meeting where she was expected to lose a leadership spill motion.

The resignation follows a cross-factional delegation of six ministers informing Allan on Monday that she had lost majority support within the parliamentary Labor Party. Allan had initially stated her intention to contest any leadership vote, as did Carroll after being approached by colleagues. In a statement, Allan said she made the difficult decision to step aside after speaking with colleagues overnight. She pledged her unqualified support for Carroll should he become premier.

Carroll, the state's education minister and a member of the party's right faction, is now set to be appointed as premier without a contested ballot, avoiding a potentially weeks-long election process involving rank-and-file members. The leadership transition occurs just four months before the state election scheduled for November 28, 2026.

Allan's premiership had faced mounting pressure in recent months,...