As the day drew to a close in Canberra, Peter Dutton's supporters were inching closer to having enough support to force Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull to call a second Liberal party room meeting.

Mr Turnbull made it clear he would only call the second meeting, and a spill, if Mr Dutton's supporters presented him with the signatures of a majority of the Liberal party room – that's 43 signatures.

At 5:30pm, the number was somewhere between 40 and 42. Some MPs added their names, not because they support Mr Dutton, but because they wanted a resolution to the leadership issue.

While most Liberals think it is only a matter of time, the failure to do get enough signatures by noon tomorrow could see Mr Turnbull's leadership limp on for another fortnight, until the next sitting of Parliament.

The longer this issue drags on, the more likely it is another contender, perhaps in the form of Scott Morrison or Julie Bishop, will rally enough support to represent a serious challenge to Mr Dutton.

The only winners today were Bill Shorten and Labor, and maybe Tony Abbott. For the latter, this week's chaos was revenge for the 2015 Turnbull-led coup which saw Mr Abbott blasted from The Lodge.

For a brief period, it was suggested Mr Abbott might also put his hat in the ring, but that suggestion was quickly quashed. There are many in the Liberal Party who are still angry with their former leader.

But that doesn't mean he is out. With a constitutional cloud hanging over Mr Dutton's head – due to his interests in two Brisbane child care centres – Mr Abbott may still emerge as the conservative's candidate.

Now, everyone waits. Sky News is counting down to when the Liberal party room meeting is scheduled to be held – but for the leadership contenders, it is all about counting up to the magic number: 43.