Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull could face another leadership spill this afternoon, and this time he is unlikely to survive.
Challenger Peter Dutton confirmed he is plotting a second run at the prime ministership, and claimed he only needs three more votes to take the top job.
Dutton’s camp said they have secured 40 out of the 43 votes required to seize the Liberal Party leadership.
Undeterred by his defeat in Tuesday’s leadership spill, the new backbencher admitted he was gathering support for another attempt.
‘Of course I am, I am speaking to colleagues,’ Mr Dutton said when asked if he was working on a second challenge by Neil Mitchell on 3AW.
Peter Dutton (pictured) has admitted his is plotting a second challenge for the prime ministership
The admission from the former Queensland police officer comes amid rumours Treasurer Scott Morrison (pictured, left, with Malcolm Turnbull) is preparing for his own tilt at the top job
After being asked how long he would respect the partyroom’s decision, the former Home Affairs Minister said still believes that he offers the best chance of beating Bill Shorten at the next election.
‘If I believe that a majority of colleagues support me then I would consider my position … that’s how I see it,’ he said.
‘The judgement needs to be what puts us in the best position to beat Bill Shorten, and I believe I have ideas and a vision for Australia … [and] the experience to beat Bill Shorten.’
The admission from the former Queensland police officer comes amid revelations Treasurer Scott Morrison is preparing for his own tilt at the top job.
A Liberal MP claimed Mr Morrison does not wish to be deputy leader under Mr Dutton, and is now angling for the leadership.
‘Scott Morrison is now running around to put a ticket between himself and Peter Dutton,’ the MP told Ray Hadley on 2GB.
‘He won’t serve as deputy to Peter Dutton, he wants to be the leader.’
Mr Morrison appeared in a triumphant photo after the leadership spill, pointing at Mr Turnbull in support, despite harbouring his own leadership ambitions.
Mr Turnbull, who has not made any media appearances on Wednesday, has called for unity after fending off the leadership threat
Alex Hawke and Ben Morton were doing the numbers in the open for Mr Morrison on Wednesday morning, several MPs told The Australian.
Minister for Defence Industry Christopher Pyne, a staunch supporter of the Prime Minister, said the Government was dangerously close to self-destruction.
‘I think the government is skating close to the precipice and my colleagues need to understand that,’ Mr Pyne told FIVEaa.
‘People need to take stock of the destruction that they are wreaking on the government and this is actually a zero sum game.
‘Stability is our watch word for the future. Instability will see Bill Shorten as prime minister of Australia and potentially very soon.’
Contributing to Mr Turnbull’s (pictured with Julie Bishop) leadership woes are a string of poor public polls and internal anger over his government’s energy and climate change policies
Backers of Mr Dutton believe his support levels are quickly climbing.
‘Now that the genie is out of the bottle, I’m not sure we can put it back,’ Liberal MP Craig Kelly told the ABC.
Mr Dutton has started a media campaign to reach out to Australian voters, with migration, energy and fuel prices in his sights.
He called for a royal commission on fuel and energy prices, and said he would consider removing the GST on electricity for families and pensioners.
He also pledged to cut Australia’s immigration intake if elected leader.
‘We have to cut the numbers back [but] I haven’t got a number to give to you today,’ Mr Dutton told 3AW.
At least ten ministers, including four from Cabinet, offered to stand down after voting against Mr Turnbull.
But so far Mr Turnbull has only accepted two of their resignations, including that of Mr Dutton.
He also dropped International Development Minister Concetta Fierravanti-Wells after she wrote a scathing letter criticising the Liberal party for ‘drifting too far to the left’.
Mr Turnbull, who has not made any media appearances on Wednesday, has called for unity after fending off the leadership threat.
A Liberal MP claimed Mr Morrison does not wish to be deputy leader under Mr Dutton, and is now angling for the leadership
‘We’ve got to put 25million Australians first. They hate it when we are talking about each other,’ he said on Tuesday.
But some Liberal MPs believe his position is terminal.
‘I think there was a shift after the partyroom meeting with the offers of resignation by a considerable number of ministers,’ Tasmanian Liberal Senator Eric Abetz said.
Meanwhile, at least three Nationals MPs, including Veterans Affairs Minister Darren Chester, are threatening to quit the coalition and move to the cross bench if Mr Dutton seizes power.
‘All options are on the table in a volatile environment,’ Mr Chester told the ABC.
Former Nationals leader Barnaby Joyce counselled Mr Chester to remember: ‘We don’t have a dog in this fight, it’s for the Liberal Party.’
Victorian Nationals MP Damian Drum said if the Liberals do change leaders, they will need to redraft the coalition agreement.
A leadership change could also trigger an early general election, which could be a hindrance for cash-strapped state Liberal branches still finalising their candidates.
Mr Dutton says he ran because he believed he was the best option to head off a Shorten Labor government.
Contributing to Mr Turnbull’s leadership woes are a string of poor public polls and internal anger over his government’s energy and climate change policies.
Mr Dutton says he ran because he believed he was the best option to head off a Shorten Labor government