Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull will hold a party room meeting at midday on Friday. He said he will stand aside if he receives a letter signed by the majority of his party colleagues calling for his resignation.
Turnbull said he sought advice from the solicitor general on the eligibility of Peter Dutton to stand in Parliament and expected to have advice on Friday morning. He said the importance of the advice could not be overstated and could impact upon Dutton's decision to run against him. Dutton's eligibility has been called in to question over his ownership of childcare centers that receive money from the Commonwealth.
Turnbull said he would leave parliament if he lost the leadership but he did not say if he would force a by-election.
He accused a minority in the party room of seeking to bully others in to making a leadership change through a process of intimidation. He said members were seeking to drag the party to the right.