As speculation continues about the future of Peter Dutton as Liberal Party leader, Lord Downer of Adelaide Hills has hinted at his availability to replace him.

His Lordship this morning called media representatives together to his family seat Pout House to deliver a public reading of a column he penned advancing his ideas that the Liberal Party should take on board immediately to reverse its recent disastrous performance.

Lord Downer revealed his column, published in News Crap Australia metropolitan turdbloid newspapers today (above), was actually an extract from the forthcoming book he had written canvassing his own period as Liberal Party leader. (main picture)

“Far be it from me to put myself forward as Liberal Party leader,” he trilled. “But I believe my previous experience in the job cannot be dismissed.”

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Former long-serving prime minister John Howard has rejected suggestions that he should return to the Liberal Party leadership.

Speaking from his new home in the Egyptology Department of the Australian Museum in Sydney (below) Mr Howard said he was not considering a return to full-time politics.

“I’m content to contribute to the Liberal Party’s performance by continuing to actively campaign when needed in elections such as those in Victoria, South Australia, Western Australia, Queensland and last month’s NSW election as well as at the federal level, most recently in Aston,” he said. “I think the results speak for themselves.

“I’ll let the organisation’s people on the ground at federal and state level determine when I’m trotted out to help campaigning and the manner of that involvement.”

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Peter Dutton’s office has attempted to quash speculation over his leadership by reissuing a transcript of a radio interview he undertook in the lead-up to the Aston by-election last Saturday.

On ABC Radio in Melbourne on March 15 Mr Dutton responded to a question about the significance of the by-election by saying, in part: “It’ll be a verdict on the leaders, no question about that.”

But his office today issued a revised and allegedly more accurate version of his remarks which said: “It’ll be a verdict on the leaders? No. [I have a] question about that.”

When questioned about the change a spokesperson for Mr Dutton said it was normal for transcripts to be revised and reissued whenever transcription errors were detected.

“The boss says it happened a lot with interviews with offenders and suspects when he was a Queensland cop,” the spokesperson said.