Turnbull begins the backslide

THE slide in Malcolm Turnbull's emphatic denial about what was said in his conversation with Fran Bailey when she rang to tell him of her intention to retire at the next election has started.

The veteran Liberal MP confirmed to The Weekend Australian that the Opposition Leader had offered her the shadow health portfolio in an effort to convince her to stay on in her marginal Victorian seat of McEwen.

Turnbull responded last Friday by saying "that is completely and utterly false" - no doubt aware that offering up Peter Dutton's portfolio just three days after he had lost preselection for the Gold Coast seat of McPherson might have appeared a tad disloyal.

Confronted with Turnbull's denial (and presumably confronted by Turnbull himself), Bailey refused to budge.

But she did offer this: "My first reaction was that it was a joke," before making it clear that she certainly wasn't left with that impression.

"Absolutely not" is how Turnbull replied to the suggestion he might have offered up the portfolio as nothing more than a joke - a piece of misguided humour at the expense of Dutton's plight perhaps?

In his emailed statement last Friday, the Opposition Leader heaped praise on Bailey as "an outstanding member of parliament and minister in the last government".

But he left hanging the assertion that she is a liar over this issue - and that is what has upset some of his colleagues.

"I did not offer her a shadow cabinet position to renominate, and I am at a loss to understand how anyone would seriously imagine that I would or had," Turnbull said.

Because Bailey said so, and because some Liberals doubt Turnbull's political acumen, that's why.

Turnbull tried to hose down the claims yesterday by offering this amendment:

"Fran has a recollection of what I suppose in the circumstances at the time may have been some black humour," he said.

So the backdown begins.

Despite not himself recalling what was said, Turnbull is now happy to concede: "I don't doubt the integrity or the honesty of her recollection - she's a very honest woman."

Bailey will be glad to hear it, even if Turnbull is now trying to corner the conversation into only ever being conducted as a joke - a supposed recollection she firmly rejects.