TONY Abbott’s decision to sack Philip Ruddock as chief whip and replace him with Scott Buchholz was not a “captain’s pick” but instead a suggestion by maverick Queensland MP Warren Entsch.

Mr Entsch, who is the MP for Leichhardt in northern Queensland confirmed to News Corp Australia he had presented the idea to the Prime Minister last week.

“I told him that the whip’s office wasn’t working and there needed to be changes,” Mr Entsch said.

“Philip is a great guy and has lots to offer the party but when he was whip the pastoral care that is required of that office just wasn’t there.

“The office wasn’t warm and engaging like it should be. You couldn’t go there and chew the fat.”

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Mr Entsch, who served as chief whip in opposition, met with Tony Abbott in his office in Canberra the night before last Monday’s spill motion went before the Liberal party room.

Mr Entsch’s revelation comes after Malcolm Turnbull - the man many Liberal MPs want to be Prime Minister — said he was sad that Mr Ruddock had been sacked.

“It was Tony’s call so he is the one who has to explain it but I have to say I think Philip is a great Liberal … it was a sad day,” Mr Turnbull told the ABC.

The Prime Minister saw off a leadership spill 61 to 39 votes but was shocked by the large number of MPs who voted in favour of a spill motion going ahead.

He promised no retribution in a speech to the party room following the vote, however by Friday announced he was sacking Mr Ruddock, who was elected to parliament in 1973 and is the father of the house, as chief whip.

Mr Abbott on Sunday said that he wasn’t aware of the level of discontent amongst his backbench and moved to change the whip structure to ensure that didn’t happen again.

But News Corp Australia revealed yesterday that was not the case with Mr Ruddock warning the Prime Minister several times that his backbench was not happy with the direction of the party.

Mr Abbott also personally telephoned dozens of MPs to gauge their concerns from January this year.

Many MPs have vented their anger over Mr Abbott’s decision to sack Mr Ruddock, however Mr Entsch — who is chairman of the Northern Australia committee — said he believed the move to install Mr Buchholz as chief whip and Abbott loyalist Andrew Nikolic as one of the deputy whips would “serve him well”.

“People are making the assumption this is retribution, it is nothing like that,” Mr Entsch said.

“It’s about who can do the job best.

“No doubt this would have been an incredibly difficult decision for Tony (Abbott) to make but it shows that he is willing to change and do what is best for the future of the party.”

Mr Entsch was publicly furious with Tony Abbott’s decision to award the Queen’s husband Prince Philip an Australian knighthood.

He labelled the move “bloody silly”.

Mr Entsch was prepared to co-sponsor a bill with fellow Queenslander Andrew Laming to scrap the awarding of dames and knighthoods altogether.

But Mr Entsch said he was never pushing for a change to Tony Abbott as leader of the Liberal party.

“I was just looking for a change of leadership and I think we’re starting to get that with these decisions,” he said.