David Littleproud has copped a sledge about his leadership ahead of a second Liberal meeting to discuss the Nationals’ policy demands, after this week’s dramatic Coalition break-up.

The Liberal party room will reconvene virtually under leader Sussan Ley on Friday afternoon after the two parties returned to the negotiating table to discuss a path to reconciliation.

The Liberals signalled their broad support for continuing in a coalition with the Nationals during an address to the party room by Ley on Thursday night.

The policies at the centre of the dispute are nuclear energy, divestiture powers against supermarkets, boosting phone connectivity in the bush, and a regional investment fund.

But a rift has also emerged on climate after Littleproud left the door open to dumping a commitment to net-zero emissions by 2050, following a challenge to his leadership over the target.

The Nationals have flagged they would accept a promise from the Liberals to back removing the federal moratorium on nuclear power, rather than doubling down on previous Coalition policy to build seven power plants.

Meanwhile, former Nationals leader Michael McCormack turned to a famous Liberal phrase when asked if Littleproud had his full support.

“I’m ambitious for him,” McCormack told ABC Radio Canberra on Friday.

They were almost the same words used by then treasurer Scott Morrison amid the Liberal Party’s 2018 leadership turmoil that ended with the ousting of Malcolm Turnbull as PM – to be replaced by Morrison.

“He’s been messy, he’s been really messy and for people on the outside looking in, they just wonder what the hell is going on,” McCormack said.

Scott Morisson used the same phrase in the days before Malcolm Turnbull was rolled as PM.

Liberal MP Dan Tehan, who has been working to fix an outcome, said the parties should work collectively and pool resources to hold the Albanese government to account, given their diminished ranks.

“You need an effective opposition,” he told ABC radio.

Nationals MP Darren Chester acknowledged the frustration in party politics taking centre stage as some regional communities endured devastating flooding and loss of life.

At Parliament House on Thursday, Littleproud said he and Ley had agreed to delay announcing their shadow cabinets and portfolio allocations in the hopes of a reunion.

Nationals deputy leader Kevin Hogan said he expected the Liberals to accept their terms.

“They’re saying that they now will, and those type of policies are really important to us,” he told Nine’s Today.

There’s confidence an agreement can be reached out of sheer need, given the demolition of the Liberal Party in Labor’s landslide election win.

The Nationals pulled out of the decades-long coalition arrangement after Littleproud said Ley would not recommit to key policies that had been taken to the election.

Ley didn’t outright reject the policies during initial talks, but said she wouldn’t commit to anything so soon after the election defeat as the party room reviewed its policies.

Nationals senator Bridget McKenzie said it was convention after an election that platforms taken to voters remained unless explicitly removed.

Members of both parties have questioned why an agreement must be rushed into only weeks after an overwhelming election loss.

-AAP