“Until I have clarification regarding some of the issues about Barnaby, I won’t be able to back him but I’m also not in a position to back any challenger,” Mr Gee said in a statement issued on Friday morning, February 23. 

“Our electorate comes first, and nobody has contacted me to tell me they’re challenging, what they’d do for the Calare electorate or how our key projects would be progressed.”

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Mr Joyce has been under fire since it was revealed he was expecting a child with his new partner and former media adviser Vikki Campion.

More damaging were claims Mr Joyce had helped Ms Campion land a high-paying job in the office of his Nationals colleague Matt Canavan after talk of their affair first emerged.

He is now also fighting claims of sexual harassment. 

“As things stand, all bets are off,” Mr Gee said. 

"I’m backing the electorate and not anyone else, and we’ll just have to see what next week brings.”

Barnaby Joyce has called a press conference for this afternoon in Armidale.