Peta Credlin has delivered a disturbing message to Malcolm Turnbull

PETA Credlin has delivered a disturbing message to the new Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull during a rare interview.

Peta Credlin will be joining Sky News as part of the channel’s election coverage for 2016.

LABOR leader Bill Shorten has the potential to be a “formidable” political opponent, Peta Credlin says.

Tony Abbott’s former chief of staff, who will join Sky News as a commentator during the election campaign, didn’t rule out the possibility of a Labor win when questioned on Sky’s PM Agenda program on Saturday night.

Ms Credlin said while she was in Mr Abbott’s office Mr Shorten had started to bring unity and discipline to his team.

“I thought that in my personal interactions with him one-on-one that he had a likability, an earthiness and a genuineness that if he was able to work that into his public presentations he’d be formidable,” she said.

When asked whether her former boss had been undermined by colleagues before his ouster as PM, Ms Credlin said Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull had always made his ambitions for the top job clear.

“I don’t think Malcolm Turnbull stayed around, and returned to the parliament, or decided not to resign, to be anyone’s minister,” she said.

“Malcolm is now the prime minister, he has a big campaign to fight.

“He has my support as a Liberal.”

Ms Credlin also admitted she may have been too tough on her colleagues.

“If I have to cop some criticism maybe I banged a few heads too hard, demanded in the Prime Minister’s name, everything that backbenchers have promised their electorates,” she said.

But she believes that she was scrutinised more closely than others in the same position.

“I was often criticised if there was a photograph of me sitting behind Tony Abbott or me sitting in chair in a meeting overseas.

“I was sitting in the chair that had always been the chief of staff’s chair, but if you’re six-foot-one, female, long hair and like to smile a bit, you get a photo.”

Originally published as Peta Credlin has delivered a disturbing message to Malcolm Turnbull