Who is Steven Miles? The highly controversial Deputy Prime Minister endorsed by Annastacia Palaszczuk as her successor

Annastacia Palaszczuk has backed Steven Miles as Queensland’s next premier following her shock resignation.

An emotional Ms Palaszczuk tearfully announced her departure on Sunday, claiming ‘the time was right’.

“I’ve been thinking about it for a while,” she said.

‘It’s the right time. It is time for renewal and I have a great deputy in Steven Miles and I believe he will be an excellent Prime Minister.”

But he will likely have to compete with Health Minister Shannon Fentiman and Treasurer Cameron Dick for the top spot at Friday’s Labor Party caucus meeting to decide who of the three will become Queensland’s 40th premier.

Miles, 44, who has been Ms Palaczcuk’s deputy since May 2020 and has been a Labor MP since 2015, is no stranger to controversy.

He has been a vocal supporter of lockdowns and border closures during the coronavirus pandemic, praising Ms Palaczcuk’s “measured, cautious and safe approach” while slamming NSW’s “reckless” decision to allow travel before Christmas in 2021.

His biggest claim to infamy, however, came earlier that year, when he almost called then-Prime Minister Scott Morrison the c-word – and blamed the blunder on an apparent stutter.

Mr. Miles spoke at a Labor Day event Brisbane in May 2021 when he compared then-opposition leader Anthony Albanese, who attended the free event, to Mr Morrison charging $5,500 per person to attend a fundraiser.

“Scott Morrison is in town, he’s having a $5,000 per seat fundraiser, think about that,” Miles told the crowd.

“Albo is here with us on Labor Day, while Scott Morrison is charging $5,000 a head to have dinner with him.

‘What a shitty… contrast.’

Miles, who grinned and laughed as the crowd roared with laughter and cheered at the slip of the tongue, then introduced Mr. Albanese, who he said would be more careful with his words.

At a press conference after the event, Miles said the blunder was a result of his stutter.

“I understand that I may have stuttered when I spoke earlier, and that some in the crowd may have misheard,” he said.

“What I said, I want to be very, very clear that I used the word contrast, the word contrast.”

The 43-year-old, who took over from Jackie Trad as deputy prime minister in 2020, said he would “never use language like that” despite his disagreements with Morrison’s policies.

“I understand that there was a bit of a stutter and that people may have misheard me, but that was certainly not my intention.”

Miles met with Prime Minister Morrison again earlier that year when he filmed himself tearing up a NSW government tax invoice and calling Mr Morrison a “school bully” for telling the state to pay for quarantine hotel costs.

He recorded how he destroyed the $30 million bill charged to the 7,112 travelers with Queensland addresses who were held in quarantine in New South Wales from March 29 to September 30, 2020.

Mr Miles claimed Queensland would not pay until Mr Morrison allowed a proposed national quarantine center near Toowoomba in the state’s south-east.

“Scott Morrison is like a school bully telling us we should give our lunch money to NSW,” Miles said.

“We will not pay that bill, not as long as the Commonwealth refuses to approve our plan for a national quarantine center.”

But Mr. Miles came under heavy fire 2GB breakfast radio host Ben Fordham on his comments.

“This guy is a kid,” Fordham told listeners.

“He has a problem with the Commonwealth because they don’t like his crazy idea, so he’s holding our money hostage.

‘He is the world record holder in the dope department. Give him the gold medal!’

The war of words between Mr Morrison and Mr Miles reached a fever pitch when the then Prime Minister called on Mr Miles to “grow up”.

“I think this man needs to grow up,” Mr Morrison said in October 2020.

“Those careless and juvenile comments reflect terribly on him.”

Mr Miles was heavily criticized that year when he made a joke after then US President Donald Trump was rushed to hospital with Covid-19.

“Have you considered intravenous disinfectant?” Miles wrote on Twitter.

The joke was a reference to Trump’s much-derided suggestion that injecting bleach or disinfectant could help fight the virus.

Mr Miles was criticized for his ‘highly inappropriate’ comment.

In 2020, Mr Miles was the target of an attack ad from Queensland’s Liberal National Party.

A video shared on the party’s Facebook page appeared to show Miles accidentally swallowing a fly during a press conference.

But the ad failed after people accused the LNP of being ‘juvenile’ and ’embarrassing’.

Before entering politics, the father of three was a union organizer and ran a small local business.

He obtained his PhD from the University of Queensland with a thesis entitled Trade ‘Union Renewal in Australia: Rebuilding Worker Involvement’.

Mr Miles’ then six-year-old daughter Bridie stole the show at a 2021 coronavirus briefing, where she waited patiently before becoming bored and distracted.

Adorable footage from the briefing showed her yawning repeatedly and practicing some TikTok moves before finally resorting to the classic listless child’s pose: the arm wave.