No worries ... Brendan Nelson with Malcolm Turnbull in Parliament / Kym Smith
Turnbull backers want challenge soon
But Turnbull wants to give Nelson more time
Sources say he knows Nelson won`t recover
MALCOLM Turnbull will give Opposition Leader Brendan Nelson a stay of execution, postponing any leadership challenge for at least a month.
Despite intense speculation that Mr Turnbull will take on Dr Nelson`s leadership as early as this week`s sitting of Federal Parliament, sources close to the shadow treasurer say it will not happen.
Instead, Mr Turnbull will wait, in order to give Dr Nelson the chance to prove himself in the wake of the declaration by former treasurer Peter Costello that he does not want the leadership and that he will be leaving politics.
Laurie Oakes: Leader needs a bullet, Malcolm has a gun Mr Turnbull`s supporters say the logic of their candidate is compelling - while Dr Nelson has used the spectre of Mr Costello to claim that`s why he`s been unable to beat Prime Minister Kevin Rudd in the polls.
They say Mr Turnbull will now wait and give Dr Nelson the opportunity of reversing the situation - given Mr Costello`s stated decision to quit Parliament - while knowing no such reverse will happen.
Sources close to Mr Turnbull believe that, after the poll turnaround fails to materialise, the party will have no alternative but to go to the shadow treasurer.
If Dr Nelson is unable to reverse the opinion polls over the next month, party room sentiment is likely to sour, given that he has consistently trailed Labor and Kevin Rudd by huge margins since the November 24 election.
By delaying any challenge to Dr Nelson, Mr Turnbull will avoid the charge from Nelson supporters that he has immediately exploited Mr Costello`s stated intention of retiring from politics to his own advantage.
Instead, Mr Turnbull will be able to argue that he gave Dr Nelson a "fair go" - but that it turned out to be futile and that continuing with Dr Nelson as leader would not be in the best interests of the Liberal Party.
If Mr Turnbull were to mount an immediate challenge, when Parliament resumes on Monday, he would risk a "sympathy`` vote from Liberal MPs who believed Dr Nelson had not been give a reasonable opportunityas leader.
But that does not mean Mr Turnbull is not under pressure to take the top job immediately.
Senior Liberal powerbroker and former key Costello backer Michael Kroger told The Sunday Telegraph: "The leadership speculation has to be put to an end and the matter has to be resolved``.
"The business community does not want this continued uncertainty.``
His remarks will be read as an invitation for the Liberal Party caucus to settle the issue as soonas this week`s Parliamentary sitting.
The wild card possibility is that a rogue Liberal MP - someone like former NSW party president and John Howard confidante Bill Heffernan, or Western Australian wild man Wilson "Iron Bar`` Tuckey - could unilaterally move a spill motion on the leadership inside the party room at its regular meeting on Tuesday and force Mr Turnbull`s hand.
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