Prime Minister Scott Morrison is under fire after a dig at Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese’s pre-election weight loss.

Mr Albanese made headlines recently for his stylish look in a photo shoot for the Women’s Weekly, and has been open about losing 18 kilograms in recent months.

He told the magazine motivation for the weight loss was sparked by a serious car accident in 2020.

But Mr Morrison has tried to turn Mr Albanese’s makeover into a campaign issue, alleging the Labor leader doesn’t know who he is.

“I’m not pretending to be anyone else. I’m still wearing the same sunglasses. Sadly, the same suits. I weigh about the same size and I don’t mind a bit of Italian cuisine … I’m not pretending to be anyone else,” the PM told a crown in NSW at a forum for a special edition of Sky News Australia’s Paul Murray Live on Monday night.

“When you’re Prime Minister, you can’t pretend to be anyone else. You’ve got to know who you are because if you don’t know who you are, then how are other people going to know?”

Mr Morrison fielded questions from a largely supportive audience on the NSW central coast for Murray’s The PM Pub Test.

In doing so, he also took a swipe at Mr Albanese’s recent attempts to compare himself to former Labor leader Bob Hawke and other popular prime ministers.

“You can’t all of a sudden turn up at an election and say, ‘Oh, I’m not that person I was for 20 years or 30 years’ and all of a sudden pretend you’re everybody from John Howard, Bob Hawke or Kevin Rudd,” he said.

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But Nine Network political reporter Chris O’Keefe said Mr Morrison’s comments were “a low go”.

“Albo has lost 14 kilograms because he went on a health kick. Good luck to him. It’s called discipline. Isn’t that what you want in a prime minister?” O’Keefe told the Today show on Tuesday.

“If Scott Morrison wants to have a go at Albo, how about we ask what the hell is he going to do for us as Australians if we vote for him because I still have no idea.”

Former Labor leader Bill Shorten went further, suggesting the Prime Minister was threatened by Mr Albanese.

“As for makeovers, I remember Mr Morrison before the last federal election. You know what, he seemed to get a new pair of glasses and did his best at a makeover,” he told Today.

“I think the little green monster is sitting on Mr Morrison‘s shoulder and he is jealous of Albo.”

Anthony Albanese and partner Jodie Haydon at the National Press Club last month. Photo: Getty

During Monday’s broadcast, Mr Morrison also said the looming federal election would be decided by voters, with the economy and defence as key issues. He said the vote would come down to “keeping the economy strong and keeping Australians safe”.

“How strong our economy is will determine the country we live in for the next 10 years – so a stronger economy means a stronger future,” he said.

“A stronger economy, you can pay for the pension, you can pay for defence forces, you can pay for aged care, you can pay for all of the essentials.

“If you can’t manage the economy and manage a budget, you can’t do that.”

The PM also acknowledged that not all of his decisions in the nation’s top job had been popular. But he said he had not changed and was a reliable choice.

“I can say I can surf like Kelly Slater but that doesn’t mean I can,” Mr Morrison said.

“I’m happy in my own skin and I’m not pretending to be anyone else.”

-with agencies