Is Tony Abbott mounting a comeback? Peter van Onselen with Neil Mitchell

Is Tony Abbott mounting a comeback?

The ditched Prime Minister has increased his public appearances in recent weeks, prompting some to suggest he still has an eye on the prime ministership and mounting a Kevin Rudd-style counter-coup.

But Neil Mitchell said it was unlikely, and the author of a new book that chronicles Mr Abbott’s downfall said it would amaze him.

‘I see the degree of difficulty for him being even higher than it was for Kevin Rudd,’ said former Abbott staffer Peter van Onselen, who has released Battleground: Why the Liberal Party shirtfronted Tony Abbott.

‘(Mr Abbott’s) opinion polls are so much lower.

‘I think he’s partly legacy-preserving, rather than making a comeback.’

Click play to hear Neil Mitchell’s chat with Peter van Onselen about Tony Abbott’s past and future