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AAP
AAP
Politics
Grace Crivellaro and Andrew Brown

Door opens to coalition reunion as leader spill flops

Is a reunion on the cards for Nationals leader David Littleproud and Liberal chief Sussan Ley? (Mick Tsikas/AAP PHOTOS)

A failed challenger for the Nationals' leadership has urged the party to reunite with the Liberals.

David Littleproud will remain as the leader of the Nationals after Queensland backbencher Colin Boyce's bid to unseat him failed at the first hurdle.

Mr Boyce's spill motion did not get the backing of other Nationals MPs needed for a formal vote on who should be the party's leader.

The Queensland MP said the party needed to get back with the Liberals to reform the coalition.

"It is critical the coalition is restored, something I have been calling for from the start," Mr Boyce said on Monday.

"We must stand up for everyday Australians against an incompetent Labor government whose spending is out of control.

"As always, I am committed to the people of Flynn and will continue to advocate for their future as well as the core values of the National Party."

Mr Littleproud met with Opposition Leader Sussan Ley on Monday evening for negotiations on a potential coalition resumption.

Colin Boyce
MP Colin Boyce admitted before his spill motion he did not expect to topple David Littleproud. (Lukas Coch/AAP PHOTOS)

Negotiations between the two leaders had previously been placed on hold while a potential leadership spill was on the cards.

Nationals whip Michelle Landry said the party would look to come together after the attempted spill motion.

"We're all working together," she told reporters. 

"And our goal is to work sensibly with our colleagues and just get on with the good opposition against the Labor Party."

A second Nationals party room meeting in as many days will take place on Tuesday before the resumption of parliament.

Colin Boyce and David Littleproud
After his spill motion failed, Colin Boyce said the Liberal-National coalition must be restored. (Susie Dodds/AAP PHOTOS)

It follows nearly two weeks of infighting between the former coalition parties triggered by a split vote on Labor's controversial hate speech laws.

Darren Chester was also set to use the party meeting to move a motion to reinstate the coalition, saying "the things that unite us are bigger than things that divide us".

"Every moment we spend talking about ourselves, is a free pass to a weak and divisive prime minister who has failed to keep his promises to lower energy bills and govern for all Australians," he said on Facebook.

"Australia deserves a better government which has policies to unite the country and programs aimed at bridging the gap in services between city and country people."

The Nationals had previously been given a deadline to come back into the coalition tent by Ms Ley.

If an agreement was not reached by February 9, the Liberals planned to expand their shadow cabinet and have Liberal members formally take over roles held by Nationals on the frontbench.

Nationals senator Matt Canavan said Mr Littleproud had the authority to restart talks with Ms Ley, adding that the coalition should not have split up.

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