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CANBERRA - Pressure mounted on John Howard's leadership today with reports two senior ministers have withdrawn their support for the prime minister.
Foreign Minister Alexander Downer and Environment Minister Malcolm Turnbull want Mr Howard to quit the leadership of the Liberal party, Sky News said today.
Mr Howard last night vowed to remain as prime minister despite months of poor opinion polls pointing to a Labor landslide win at the federal election, due within weeks.
Sky says both senior ministers have spoken to Mr Howard.
"... but not telling him to go, saying their view is that it would be better for the government if he did go," Sky said.
Neither Mr Downer nor Mr Turnbull would confirm that they had called on the prime minister to stand aside.
But other cabinet sources said more and more ministers believed it would be better if Mr Howard left, Sky said, citing two separate sources.
Mr Howard's office rejected the report, saying both ministers had denied it.
"I'm just up in Mr Downer's office. They are denying that that has occurred," a spokesman for Mr Howard told AAP.
"I've just spoken to Alexander Downer's office and they have been strongly denying it and so have Mr Turnbull's office.
"Why would Mr Turnbull have a role?"
The spokesman said there was no reason to change Mr Howard's itinerary today, including welcoming Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper to parliament.
Mr Turnbull's office said the minister had "definitely not" told Mr Howard he should quit for the benefit of the party.
"It's totally unsubstantiated," a spokeswoman said.
Asked if Mr Turnbull had spoken to Mr Howard in the past 48 hours about the leadership issue, the spokeswoman replied: "That I can't confirm."
"I haven't spoken to him personally about that to ask, but he definitely has not (tapped Mr Howard)."
Comment was being sought from Mr Downer's office.
Liberal senators arriving for parliament this morning reaffirmed their faith in Mr Howard, with Senate President Alan Ferguson saying his job was "rock solid".
"He's always had plenty of authority and he's always maintained the respect of all the members of the party, otherwise he wouldn't still be there," Senator Ferguson told reporters.
West Australian Liberal Ross Lightfoot said he was confident Mr Howard was the right person to lead the coalition into the election.
"He's not a lame duck, he's one of the best prime ministers we've ever had (and) history will treat him very kindly," the senator said.
"All I know is that he enjoys the support of the party room and that's the only place that will change his leadership unless he wants to step down voluntarily (which) he's indicated he's not going to.
"The party room I'm quite sure, without any equivocation whatsoever, is quite happy to support him."
Another WA Liberal, Judith Adams, said there would be "no tap on the shoulder".
"The prime minister is leading us to the next election and he's the right person to do it," she said.
Defence Minister Brendan Nelson said he was confident Mr Howard would remain.
"I don't think there's a genuine circumstance under which the prime minister will not lead our government to the forthcoming election," Dr Nelson told Sky News.
- AAP
