Federal cabinet minister Christopher Pyne has rejected reports Peter Dutton could challenge Malcolm Turnbull, saying the cabinet is "100 per cent united behind" the prime minister.
A minority group of right-leaning coalition MPs angry at the government's energy policy have urged the Home Affairs Minister to challenge Mr Turnbull's leadership, The Daily Telegraph reported on Friday.
"There are only two good outcomes here -- either the energy policy is dead and we can go to the election fighting Labor on it, or Malcolm goes," the News Corp publication cited an unnamed MP as saying.
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and Minister for Home Affairs Peter Dutton during Question Time in the House of Representatives at Parliament House
AAP
But Mr Pyne dismissed this as the work of colleagues "trying to put the band back together from the late 2000 and naughties" - a reference to former prime minister Tony Abbott and his supporters.
"Peter Dutton ... says he does support the government's policy," he told Nine Network on Friday.
"The cabinet is 100 per cent united behind Malcolm Turnbull and in the party room on Tuesday only four people said that they reserved their right not to vote for the NEG (National Energy Guarantee). There's a lot of hyperventilating going on."
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Mr Dutton on Thursday offered a lukewarm assessment of the energy policy but did not publicly criticise the prime minister.
"If my position changes - that is, it gets to a point where I can't accept what the government is proposing or I don't agree - then the Westminster system is very clear, you resign your commission, you don't serve in that cabinet," he told 2GB radio in Sydney.
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At least two coalition MPs have promised to vote against the NEG, including Mr Abbott, while others are reserving their right to cross the floor.
Labor frontbencher Anthony Albanese said the government was in "chaos".
"Peter Dutton went on radio yesterday and outlined the path he is considering, resigning from cabinet to go to the backbench to challenge Malcolm Turnbull," Mr Albanese told Nine.
"Dutton is just a glove puppet for Tony Abbott - back there on the backbench causing all of this chaos."
