MALCOLM TURNBULL has dropped a subtle hint - by taking the week off and going to Europe - that he is not about to make a grab for the Liberal leadership.

A spokesman for the shadow treasurer said Mr Turnbull did not take a break during the eight-week parliamentary winter recess and he and his wife, Lucy, were taking this week off before Parliament resumed on Monday.

He will return at the weekend with the Liberal leadership again a livewire topic.

Extracts of Peter Costello's memoirs will be published in the Herald from Saturday before the book is released next week.

In anticipation that the former treasurer will confirm he is not interested in the leadership, an element within the Coalition is considering forcing a spill by the end of the month to promote Mr Turnbull. The shadow treasurer, who spent most of the winter break courting the back bench, is understood to be keen to hose down such talk.

The Opposition Leader, Brendan Nelson, suggested yesterday that Mr Costello would announce that he did not want the leadership but would stay on as a backbencher for some months after his book launch.

"He said he wants to keep representing the people of Higgins," Dr Nelson said. "He decided he didn't want to be the leader of the party and nothing has changed … I can assure that in two years' time, I'll be in this position."

Dr Nelson's cause was not helped by poor results in two federal byelections last weekend.

Phillip Coorey