Victorian opposition to vote on John Pesutto's future as leader after ...

Victorian Opposition Leader John Pesutto is set to face a leadership challenge this Friday after a group of shadow ministers called a special meeting of the Liberal party room.

The meeting will formally debate readmitting exiled MP Moira Deeming back into the Victorian Liberal Party team, just a week after a near-identical motion failed due to a 14-all votes deadlock.

Under immense pressure, Mr Pesutto on Sunday called a party room meeting for January 15 to readmit Ms Deeming, marking a major backflip for the embattled leader.

Friday's meeting brings forward that motion but once MPs are gathered a spill is expected to occur with Shadow Police Minister Brad Battin expected to launch a challenge.

Shadow ministers James Newbury, Bridget Vallence, Richard Riordan and Brad Battin signed the call for the special meeting.

It was also signed by Nepean MP Sam Groth who quit the shadow cabinet earlier this month in protest of Ms Deeming's treatment.

Earlier on Sunday, Mr Pesutto publicly apologised to Ms Deeming in a statement announcing the meeting originally scheduled for January 15.

"I have today called a special Liberal Party Room meeting for Wednesday 15th January 2025 at 10am to discuss and vote on a motion moved by me to readmit Mrs Moira Deeming to the Parliamentary Liberal Party," Mr Pesutto said in a statement on Sunday afternoon.

John Pesutto defended his status as opposition leader to media following the vote. (ABC News: Patrick Rocca)

"Since last Friday's meeting it has become clear that there is now a definite absolute majority of my colleagues who want this issue resolved with her readmission so that we can collectively put this behind us and concentrate on the Prahran and Werribee by-elections and holding the Allan Labor Government to account."

"I again apologise to Mrs Deeming as we all work together to ensure the Liberal Party succeeds in winning government in November 2026."

On Friday, in the wake of a drawn vote to readmit Ms Deeming to the parliamentary party room, Mr Pesutto told gathered press that "today marks a bookend to this discussion".

The leadership spill is the latest in an ongoing saga that saw Ms Deeming win a defamation case against Mr Pesutto earlier this month.

She alleged he had defamed her as a Nazi sympathiser in the wake of an anti-trans-rights rally on the steps of Victorian parliament last year, which was gatecrashed by neo-Nazis.

Independent MP Moira Deeming (left) leaves the Federal Court after winning her defamation case. (AAP: Joel Carrett)

In the aftermath of the rally, Mr Pesutto failed in a bid to have Ms Deeming booted from the parliamentary Liberal Party. She was instead suspended for nine months.

Ms Deeming was eventually expelled from the parliamentary party last May, after threatening legal action against Mr Pesutto, but remained a member of the broader Liberal Party.

Federal Court judge David O'Callaghan ruled the opposition leader had defamed Ms Deeming on multiple occasions, including in radio and TV interviews which "caused or is likely to cause serious harm to her reputation".

Ms Deeming confirmed on Sunday she had found out about the new vote to readmit her to the party room via media reports and that she had not received any personal apology from Mr Pesutto.

Asked by a journalist on Saturday if he was sorry that he had defamed Ms Deeming, Mr Pesutto said: " I would say to my party room and to Mrs Deeming that I am sorry for the findings the court made but it's important to move on."

He said he would be open to apologising in person, however had not done so yet.

"I'm not going to put a time frame on these things," he told media.

"Of course I'll explore that. That means I'll engage in some discussions to see how that can be facilitated."