There will be no resurrection of Peter Costello, senior Liberal and party strategist Andrew Robb says.
Mr Costello's decision to stay on the federal Liberal backbench has destabilised the coalition over the last nine months and on Friday he said he did not want to lead the party, but did leave himself some room to change his mind.
However, Mr Robb, the opposition's foreign affairs spokesman and highly-regarded political strategist, said Mr Costello's time in politics was almost over.
"There will be no resurrection," Mr Robb told ABC TV.
"We can't be held captive to a messiah complex ... that often has plagued our party.
"We need to get on with it now.
Mr Robb said he could not see Mr Costello sitting in parliament much longer.
"He has no long-term future as a backbencher. He has said this week that he will be moving on."
Liberal MP Joe Hockey said there was no wriggle room because Brendan Nelson was doing a great job as leader.
"There's no wriggle room, the leadership firstly is not vacant, Brendan Nelson is doing an exceptional job in difficult circumstances," Mr Hockey told Network Nine.
Mr Hockey said there was an "obsession" around Peter Costello's memoirs.
"Peter Costello is perfectly entitled to document his version of the age of propriety, the coalition Howard years.
"There is a long line of Labor politicians who have written books, when a Liberal politician writes a book it seems to be quite an event."
Mr Hockey said the public was bored with the on-going speculation over the Liberal party leadership.
"I am as bored as the Australian electorate is with the speculation on Liberal Party leadership.
"Quite frankly I think it is time for people to move away from focusing on the Liberal leadership and start focusing on the lack of leadership in the Labor party."
