Howard stares down his Cabinet: I wont go

Has lost Cabinet supportEmbattled Prime Minister, John Howard, remains isolated - with no significant support from his colleagues and only fear of election annihilation from him fellow MP's saving his leadership ahead of the imminent election.
Publicly Ministers were vowing support, while privately Cabinet support for Howard will last only as long as Peter Costello does not mount a challenge. For his part Costello now faces the prospect of being handed a poisonous chalice - leading a disintegrating party into an election with no time to establish his own authority and leadership style.