Tony Abbott has taken a strong swipe at Malcolm Turnbull, describing him as an assassin and criticising him for banishing dissent from the coalition party room.
The former prime minister has launched a campaign in coalition ranks to get Australia to withdraw from the Paris climate agreement and not "join with Labor" in policies to reduce emissions.
But in doing so, the man who ousted Mr Turnbull as Liberal leader in 2009 over the emissions trading scheme has also taken a shot at his 2015 successor.
"As I said to Malcolm Turnbull back in 2009 I do not want to change the leader, I just want to change the policy," Mr Abbott told 2GB radio on Wednesday
"I don't want to change the leader because I don't believe in politically assassinating democratically-elected prime ministers. I do not believe in that. He does, I don't."
I don't believe in politically assassinating democratically-elected prime ministers. Tony Abbott
Mr Abbott said party room procedure had changed under Mr Turnbull "to something that has never happened before".
"Political discussion is banished to the end of the party room [meeting]," he said.
"There are very long presentations from the leadership group and from the ministers and by the time we get to discussion [from backbenchers] ... time for the party room is almost expired.
"There is pressure to conform on the party room - no one wants to rock the boat."
