Malcolm Turnbull’s leadership has been openly critiqued by Tony Abbott loyalist Kevin Andrews, as the prime minister prepares to fly back to Australia and an increasingly divided Coalition following another dual citizen resignation.

Stephen Parry’s late admission of a constitutional citizenship conflict, which came at a time most within the government believed they could close the door on the issue that has plagued the parliament since July, has revealed tensions and widening divides within party ranks.

Just hours after Turnbull again shut down calls for a citizenship audit of parliament, Andrews, a Liberal MP, said one was needed for “strong, decisive and stable leadership”.

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“What I am simply reflecting is what hundreds, if not thousands, of Australians have said to me over the past weeks and months,” Andrews told Sky News. “What they want to see is some clear, strong and decisive leadership.

“This is an an area in which I think we can provide it, quite clearly, because there is a pathway to resolving this issue and that pathway would be to ask, for example, the Australian Electoral Commission to run a fine line over all MPs and senators, report back to the government, the parliament as to what the situation is. And then we can get on with what we are elected to do.

“Whilst this issue hangs around, it is going to distract all of us, including the government, from what it should really be doing.”

The comments stood in contrast with those of Scott Morrison, who could not hold back his frustration when asked about the need for an audit on Thursday.

“I think we need to be getting a grip on this,” he said. “I think we need to be putting it in perspective.

“The high court decisions that have come up this year have been very surprising, they have been very disruptive, but at the end of the day let’s not forget why the parliament is there, why the government is there.

“And it isn’t to do [with] some sort of reality television show about ‘Who do you think you are?’, it is about actually the job of government and the Turnbull government is focused on that.”

Andrews is not alone in breaking ranks, with Craig Kelly and Eric Abetz also publicly calling for an audit.

After Malcolm Turnbull criticised Stephen Parry saying he was “disappointed” he had delayed disclosure of his foreign citizenship, the ABC reported on Thursday that Parry told a cabinet colleague months ago but was advised not to raise the alarm.

The report suggested Parry is upset his integrity has been called into question when he was advised not to say anything because of the solicitor general’s advice the government would win the citizenship seven case.

The Parry situation has also amplified divisions in the joint party room, as the Nationals and the Liberals take sides over who should replace him as the president of the Senate, a position the Liberals have traditionally held while in government.

The Nationals, including Barnaby Joyce, are backing John “Wacca” Williams for the lucrative spot, while Liberal MPs maintain the selected senator should come from their party room.

The Liberal party powerbroker Christopher Pyne has also been targeted by factional rivals in recent days, including the former Liberal Cory Bernardi, forcing his fellow South Australian Liberal Simon Birmingham to defend his colleague as “a great warrior for the Liberal party”.

“[Christopher Pyne is] a great contributor to the Liberal party, a particularly great performer in the House of Representatives,” Birmingham said. “He has been a skilled manager of business for the party in opposition and government and look, grumbles from Cory Bernardi, who is somebody who happily accepted Liberal party endorsement to run as a Liberal candidate at the last election, was elected to a six-year Senate term and then decided to bugger off less than 12 months into his six-year Senate term, that is hardly an individual who can really speak about loyalty or sticking with the team.”

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Tensions are expected to continue with the return of Richard Colbeck to the Coalition’s Senate ranks, with the former tourism minister, who was bested in a factional battle with Abetz and relegated to fifth on the Tasmanian ticket, set to return in Parry’s place.

On Thursday the high court held a directions hearing on the eligibility cases of Scott Ludlam, Fiona Nash, Larissa Waters and Malcolm Roberts.

On Monday the Australian Electoral Commission will run recounts of the 2016 election votes to fill their vacancies in Senate positions for Queensland, New South Wales and Western Australia. Affected parties will be notified on Tuesday before a further high court hearing on Friday 10 November.