MALCOLM TURNBULL'S critics have vowed to keep pursuing him and warned that unless the Coalition's standing in the polls improves early next year, he should expect another leadership challenge.
After days of rancour and division caused by Mr Turnbull's support for an emissions trading scheme, the Opposition Leader survived a leadership challenge by seven votes yesterday, beating Kevin Andrews by 48 to 35.
Mr Turnbull, whose temperament throughout the debate further alienated his detractors and worried his supporters, pledged to improve his manner.
He told the party-room he had been humbled by what had been ''an ugly few days'', acknowledged he could have handled himself better and called for the party to unify.
There was embarrassment for Mr Turnbull last night when a report into the ''Utegate'' affair detailed the high level of collusion between himself, the disgraced Treasury official Godwin Grech, and John Howard's former chief of staff, Arthur Sinodinos, as they attempted to damage the Rudd Government.
Mr Grech and Mr Sinodinos advised Mr Turnbull on how to deal with Labor's emission trading scheme by backing amendments to avoid a double dissolution but then attacking the scheme's deficiencies.
In an email from Mr Grech to Mr Turnbull on June 16, Mr Grech says how he ''spoke with Sinodinos tonight''.
''He very much agrees with my view that we should neutralise the ETS issue ASAP by supporting Rudd's bill but by pointing to those areas that we would fix in Government.
''We can then hold Rudd accountable for job losses etc relating to the deficiencies of Rudd's ETS bill - while reassuring our constituencies that we would fix things if they supported us.''
Mr Turnbull exercised his leadership on Tuesday and directed the Coalition would support Labor's emissions scheme after a party-room meeting lasting almost eight hours. He decreed the majority of all Coalition MPs and senators - both frontbenchers and backbenchers - supported his stance. The rebels said a majority of backbenchers opposed him.
The debate split the party down the middle and Mr Andrews challenged with the threat to withdraw support for the scheme. The ballot reflected the same numbers within the Liberal Party for doing a deal with Labor. Mr Andrews did not rule out running again.
''I believe this sends a very clear message to the Liberal Party that there has been deep concern about the way things have occurred over the last few weeks,'' he said.
Inside the party, there was a consensus Mr Turnbull's leadership had been so badly damaged by the affair his time was limited. One of his key supporters confided that Mr Turnbull needed to turn things around by February or there would be another challenge, this time possibly involving Tony Abbott, Joe Hockey and even Andrew Robb.
Mr Robb shocked and angered Mr Turnbull on Tuesday when he spoke out in the party room against a deal. Sources said last night Mr Robb was again positioning himself as a ''safe pair of hands'' candidate.
The deal with the Government means the Senate must pass the legislation before Parliament rises this year.
The rebels did all they could to show dissent. Three frontbenchers, Brett Mason, Mathias Cormann and Mitch Fifield, all quit and joined up to a dozen colleagues to cross the floor four times in failed bids to delay the legislation until next year.
The Senate leader, Nick Minchin, and his deputy, Eric Abetz, who oppose Mr Turnbull, failed to show for any of the votes.
Email a friend