PM BRACES FOR SECOND SPILL

MALCOLM Turnbull is set to face a second challenge to his prime ministership as early as this morning.

In a sign challenger Peter Dutton has likely picked up the seven additional partyroom votes needed to win the ballot, Mr Turnbull was presented with a petition from Liberal MPs calling on him to spill the leadership.

The Governor-General has cancelled travel plans to stay in Canberra today.

MALCOLM Turnbull is likely to face a leadership spill this morning after his junior minister James McGrath – who helped him knife Tony Abbott – resigned in support of Peter Dutton.

The Prime Minister met key backers last night as he was presented with a petition from Mr Dutton’s supporters calling on him to spill the leadership.

It means Mr Dutton has likely picked up the seven partyroom votes needed to kill off Mr Turnbull’s prime ministership. Mr Dutton hit the phones to colleagues, some who say they were blindsided by Mr Turnbull calling a spill on Tuesday.

Mr Dutton’s backers believe Finance Minister Mathias Cormann would now support his close mate given company tax cuts failed to pass the Senate and he is no longer shackled to the policy.

Senator Cormann did not respond to questions last night about whether he would switch camps from Mr Turnbull to Mr Dutton.

“I was very grateful when Malcolm invited me to serve in his Cabinet in September 2015. I have served Malcolm loyally ever since. I will continue to serve him loyally into the future,’’ Senator Cormann said next to the Prime Minister yesterday after it was announced the Coalition would not take the policy to the next election.

A shift by Senator Cormann would bring votes to Mr Dutton and be a symbolic death to Mr Turnbull’s reign.

Labor challenged Mr Dutton again yesterday over whether his interest in childcare centres, which receive government subsidies, made him ineligible for Parliament.

It is believed Mr Dutton was preparing to release updated legal advice last night showing he was not in breach.

Labor said it had legal advice showing the opposite.

Governor-General Sir Peter Cosgrove has cancelled an event in Melbourne to ensure he remains in Canberra today. Sir Peter would need to be in Canberra in the event an election was called or to swear in new ministers.

It comes as Scott Morrison said he remained loyal to Mr Turnbull despite reports MPs Ben Morton and Alex Hawke were openly doing the numbers for the Treasurer.

When asked to rule out a leadership tilt, Mr Morrison put his arm around Mr Turn- bull and said: “This is my leader and I am ambitious for him.”

Question Time was messy as senior ministers who offered resignations — but were not accepted by Mr Turnbull — were forced to pledge loyalty to the Prime Minister.

Ten frontbenchers offered resignations but only Mr Dutton’s and Concetta Fierravanti-Wells’s were accepted.

Mr Ciobo, Health Minister Greg Hunt, Human Services Minister Michael Keenan, Law Enforcement Minister Angus Taylor, Citizenship Minister Alan Tudge, and assistant ministers James McGrath, Zed Seselja and Michael Sukkar all voted for Mr Dutton in Tues- day’s spill and offered to sit on the backbench.

Mr Dutton confirmed yesterday on 3AW he was doing the numbers.

“I need to continue to talk to colleagues because I want to talk to them about the ways in which I think we can beat Bill Shorten at the next election,’’ he said.

“You don’t go into a ballot believing you can lose and if I believe that a majority of colleagues support me then I would consider my position – that is being very honest and up front.

“I’m speaking to colleagues, I’m not going to beat around the bush with that, I’m happy to be honest and say yes I am talking to colleagues, colleagues are talking to me and that is the reality.”

Bill Shorten has written to Mr Turnbull demanding a “pause” on major decisions amid the leadership crisis.

“Given the events of this week … and the very real potential of a general election in the very short term, I write to request that you immediately cease taking any actions that may bind the decisions of an incoming government…,” Mr Shorten wrote.

A snap SMS Morgan Poll last night revealed Mr Turnbull was more popular than Mr Shorten and Mr Dutton.