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Barnaby Joyce: Australia deputy PM disqualified from office Barnaby Joyce: Australia deputy PM disqualified from office
(35 minutes later)
Australia's deputy prime minister was wrongly elected because he held dual citizenship, the High Court of Australia has ruled. Australian Deputy PM Barnaby Joyce and four other politicians were wrongly elected because they held dual citizenship, a top court has ruled.
Four other politicians were also invalidly elected in July last year, the court said. The High Court of Australia decision means three of the politicians, including Mr Joyce, are disqualified from office. The others quit in July.
Australia's constitution prohibits dual citizens from standing for office. Australia's constitution prohibits dual citizens from being elected.
This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly. Please refresh the page for the fullest version. Mr Joyce's exit strips the government of its one-seat majority, but he could return through a likely by-election.
You can receive Breaking News on a smartphone or tablet via the BBC News App. You can also follow @BBCBreaking on Twitter to get the latest alerts. The deputy prime minister, who renounced New Zealand citizenship in August, has pledged to re-contest his lower house seat.
"I respect the verdict of the court," Mr Joyce said immediately after the verdict.
"We live in a marvellous democracy, with all the checks and balances they have given us all the freedoms we see. I thank the court [for] their deliberations."
The other four politicians - Fiona Nash, Malcolm Roberts, Larissa Waters and Scott Ludlam - had been elected to the Senate.
Another two politicians under scrutiny, senators Matt Canavan and Nick Xenophon, were ruled to have been validly elected.
The dual citizenship saga has captivated Australian politics since July, prompting dozens of MPs to publicly clarify their status.