Former Queensland Premier Campbell Newman is calling on Malcolm Turnbull to resign as prime minister for the good of the Liberal Party.
Mr Newman, who is now a political commentator for Sky News and sits on the boards of various companies, said the base of the party has turned against Mr Turnbull and he needs to put the party first.
"He is dividing the Liberal Party, there's a lot of attention on (Tony) Abbott giving these speeches, but the person who is really dividing the Liberal Party is actually Malcolm Turnbull," Mr Newman told ABC Radio.
"The base of the Liberal Party are desperately unhappy and that's reflected in the polling."
Recent polling has the federal coalition on 36 per cent of the primary vote, and Mr Newman says there is no way for Mr Turnbull to turn that around.
While he shied away from naming a potential successor, Mr Newman had harsh words for federal frontbencher Christopher Pyne, whom he labelled a "toffee-nosed schoolboy".
"He's a schemer, he's not focused on doing the right thing, he thinks he's better than he is ... frankly he a walking talking caricature of a Tory toff."
The former premier also suggested former PM Tony Abbott should resign, but said his ongoing criticisms of the party were "technically right".
Mr Newman, who was himself ousted from power in one of the largest electoral defeats in Queensland's history, said he considered standing aside when he saw his government struggling in the polls, but the idea was vetoed by LNP Queensland President Bruce McIver.
AAP
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