"Those that are involved in this plot against the PM need to gather up what's left of their integrity and determine whether they should sit around the cabinet table. It's not just Turnbull." Urged to resign: Malcolm Turnbull Credit:Edwina Pickles But dissidents trying to bring down the Prime Minister fear they will fail to pass a spill motion when the party room meets in Canberra at 9am. They are already warning they will not rest until Mr Abbott is kicked out of office. Newspoll results published by News Corp publications on Monday show Mr Abbott's approval rating has plunged to minus 44, with just 24 per cent of voters satisfied with his performance, compared to 68 per cent who are dissatisfied. Some 64 per cent of the 1178 voters surveyed said they preferred Mr Turnbull to lead the Liberal Party compared to 25 per cent who said they preferred Mr Abbott.

However Mr Abbott remains preferred leader among Coalition voters. Mr Turnbull and deputy Liberal leader Julie Bishop are yet to declare their hand but are widely expected to nominate for the leadership and deputy positions respectively should the spill motion pass. Mr Abbott and wife Margie arrived for church in the Canberra suburb of Manuka on Monday for the traditional back to Parliament ecumenical service. He did not respond to questions when asked if he would still be the Prime Minister by the end of the day. Arriving at the service, Education Minister Christopher Pyne made his first comments since the spill was called but did not endorse Mr Abbott. "I just hope that after this morning's party room we can get back to the job of prosecuting good government in Australia…and can unite as a team," he said. The Newspoll result also shows the government's primary vote has slumped to an eight-month low of 35 per cent. Labor is up two points to 41 per cent and the Greens are unchanged at 12 per cent.

In two-party terms, the government's vote is down to 43 per cent, with Labor on 57 per cent. Assistant Treasurer Josh Frydenberg on Monday said the government had "kicked itself in the shins" for the past week and the poll results reflected that. One of the MPs backing the spill motion, Don Randall, arrived in Canberra overnight and told reporters that if the push to oust Mr Abbott failed on Monday, the leadership issue would not go away. "No matter what happens…I suspect this is just the beginning of a process where we have to sort it out once and for all," he told reporters. Chatter about Mr Abbott's leadership was sparked after the Prime Minister knighted Prince Philip for Australia Day.

Liberal MP Craig Kelly said Mr Abbott's mistakes, often dubbed 'Captain's Calls', were only "minor". "They've been very minor mistakes, this is like throwing someone off My Kitchen Rules for burning the toast," he said. Fifty-one votes are needed to have the leader and deputy's positions declared vacant, with Queensland backbencher Ross Vasta absent because his wife has just given birth. The Prime Minister is confident the motion will be defeated but has conceded he could be kicked out of the job. "Obviously it's a pretty chastening experience to have a spill motion moved on you after just 16 months in government – a very chastening experience – and I am determined that my government, if it continues after tomorrow, will learn from this experience," Mr Abbott told the ABC on Sunday night.

"I accept that all prime ministers are, in a sense, on probation. That's the way it's always been, but, obviously, the wood will be on me to perform." Follow us on Twitter