Prime Minister Scott Morrison says he’s prepared to sign a statutory declaration denying claims he racially vilified a Liberal Party competitor in a 2007 preselection battle.

The allegations surfaced after Liberal Senator Concetta Fierravanti-Wells described Mr Morrison as “ruthless” and a “bully” in a late-night parliamentary speech last week.

Michael Towke, who initially won preselection for Cook with 82 votes to Mr Morrison’s 8 votes, was dropped as candidate after a bruising internal battle.

Mr Towke, who has a Lebanese background, told The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald on the weekend that racial vilification had been “front and centre” of the campaign against him.

Today on Please Explain, chief political correspondent David Crowe joins Bianca Hall to discuss the bruising preselection contest and its parallels to the current fight over Liberal Party preselections.