When Ben Carroll stood alongside the premier and said that being a decent person and a man who supports a woman in a difficult job is more important than becoming premier, there were plenty in the party who think he fluffed his lines.

Momentum was fast building for a change, until Deputy Premier Ben Carroll made a comment on Monday morning that all but killed it off.

Jacinta Allan’s deputy Ben Carroll has ruled out trying to snatch the top job, despite another poor opinion poll for Labor ahead of the Victorian election.

When Ben Carroll stood alongside the premier and said that being a decent person and a man who supports a woman in a difficult job is more important than becoming premier, there…