Julie Bishop's loyalty to Prime Minister Tony Abbott is under question after she released a weak statement where she appeared to be keeping her options open.

Despite Mr Abbott telling reporters he and Ms Bishop would 'stand together to defeat the motion', Sky News is reporting she would not stand on a joint ticket with the Prime Minister.

In a fiery address, a clearly angered Mr Abbott said: 'We are not the Labor Party. We are not going to repeat the chaos and instability of the Labor years.

'I have spoken to deputy leader Julie Bishop and we will stand together to urge the party room to defeat this particular motion.'

But Ms Bishop, who did not appear with Mr Abbott, would only issue a short and very qualified statement of support.

'I agreed with the Prime Minister that due to cabinet solidarity and my position as Deputy Leader there should be support for current leadership in spill motion,' she said.

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Grim announcement: Mr Abbott said he and his deputy Julie Bishop will fight to hold their positions

Mr Abbott appeared decidedly more happy visiting a factory on Friday morning

Motion: Luke Simpkins, pictured with potential leadership contender Malcolm Turnbull, has announced he will move for a federal Liberal leadership spill

Text: This is the full email Luke Simpkins sent to all of his parliamentary colleagues

Ms Bishop's support could be pivotal to the Liberal leadership. Scott Morrison has ruled himself out of the top job but Malcolm Turnbull has not.

Mr Abbott said the MPs who called for the spill - Mr Simpkins and fellow backbencher Don Randall - were perfectly entitled to call for a challenge.

However, he said: 'They are asking the Party Room to vote out the people that the electorate voted in in September 2013.'

Mr Simpkins, a little-known West Australian MP, announced he had moved a motion to topple the Prime Minister in an email to his Liberal colleagues earlier this afternoon.

He said that the knighthood of Prince Philip, issued by Mr Abbott on Australia Day, was the final straw for him.

In his email to his Liberal colleagues he wrote: 'The knighthood issue was for many the final proof of a disconnection with the people,' Simpkins wrote in the email.

'I think that we must bring this to a head, and test the support of the leadership in the party room.

'I have therefore submitted to the Chief Government Whip a motion to spill the leadership positions of the Federal Parliamentary Liberal party.'

Chief Government Whip Phillip Ruddock said the matter had been listed for discussion for the Tuesday party room meeting.

Trouble: Prime Minister Tony Abbott will reportedly face a leadership challenge on Tuesday in Canberra

Meanwhile, Tasmanian Liberal MP Andrew Nikolic has branded the move to challenge Mr Tony Abbott as disappointing and divisive.

In an email to backbench colleague Mr Simpkins, Mr Nikolic dismissed the move as the 'ill-disciplined and self-interested behaviours that the Australian people explicitly rejected in 2013'.

The email was copied to other coalition MPs and senators. The note reportedly reads: 'Luke, Your actions are disappointing and divisive.

'In my view you are repeating the ill-disciplined and self-interested behaviours that the Australian people explicitly rejected in 2013.

'You do not have my support for this.

'I will be arguing strongly against your motion and in support of what I believe is a clear majority of colleagues and constituents who prefer stability and unity of purpose.'

Prime Minister Tony Abbott was taking a selfie with worker Emerson Smith during his visit the Timbermate factory in the Melbourne suburb of Mitcham on Friday while some MPs plotted a spill

Big lift: Mr Abbott will face a leadership challenge at the Liberal Party room meeting on Tuesday

The leadership spill has been motioned ahead of the first major party room meeting of 2015 on Tuesday

It's the first Liberal leadership challenge since 2009. After the internal fallout from the-then Liberal Party and Opposition Leader Malcolm Turnbull’s support for the Rudd Government’s ETS plan in 2009 (which split the Coalition because of the National Party’s opposition to it) there was a three-way spill, involving Mr Turnbull, Tony Abbott and Joe Hockey.

In the end, Abbott claiming the leadership by one vote over Turnbull, 42 votes to 41. No one has put up their hand to contest Mr Abbott, but Mr Turnbull would not rule out a challenge on Thursday evening.

During in an appearance on the Today Show on Friday morning, Education Minister Christopher Pyne said he 'hoped' Mr Abbott would have the votes.

He later put his comments down to a slip of the tongue because he was ‘tired’, during a second interview on Sky News once he had returned to his home city of Adelaide.

Federal opposition leader Bill Shorten during a visit to Dolphins Long Day Care Centre in Brighton-Le-Sands, Sydney

Shorten spent part of today playing with children and at the day care centre amid

Pyne said: ‘I don’t know well there could a vote every Tuesday… I don’t know if there will be a vote on Tuesday.’

‘My job is to find out what my colleagues are thinking… I’ve been talking to people, obviously there are some people who think there should be a vote,’ he added.

‘I can’t rule it out. I can tell you this though I will not be moving a vote on Tuesday in the party room.’

Probed by host Karl Stefanovic on whether the Prime Minister still has the numbers to retain leadership, Pyne said: ‘I assume the party room knows the worst thing we could possibly do is change the leadership now we have to support the Prime Minister.

He later tried to clarify what he said.

'At the first available opportunity I've come straight to your studios from the airport, I am clearing up what I think is an unfortunate misinterpretation of remarks that I made this morning,' he said.

'Perhaps because I'm usually so ebullient, because it was six o'clock in the morning and I was tired rather than effusive and ebullient maybe people have misinterpreted my position,' he said.

Senior Labor figure Anthony Albanese, who was also on the show, retorted: ‘When you start having senior people who can’t say that the Prime Minister has the numbers then it’s over.’

As politics remained focussed on the government’s leadership crisis, Labor Opposition Leader Bill Shorten spent part of today playing with children and toys at a day care centre in Sydney.

Tony Abbott has reportedly been warned to dump his chief of staff Peta Credlin if he wants to salvage his position

Three Liberal Ministers reportedly confirmed the spill to Sky News journalist Kieran Gilbert

Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull was reportedly left 'underwhelmed' after a meeting with the PM