Some Liberal MPs this week pointed to Labor’s Crean leadership experience and say they just wanted to “end the agony”. Some who changed their support from the original safe option of Brendan Nelson as leader said they did so at the last minute because they realised a vote in his favour now would only be tested again in a month or two.

The former treasurer, who retired to the back bench after last year’s election loss, told Fairfax radio this morning he would not retire until he reached the stage where he felt he could not give politics his full devotion. He said there were issues in his Melbourne seat of Higgins that he wanted to address and that he had not made a decision about his future in politics. In addition, Mr. Costello did not rule out standing at the next federal election.