By Grace Crivellaro in Canberra

David Littleproud will remain the leader of the Nationals Party after a failed spill motion.

Queensland MP Colin Boyce launched the attempt to trigger a leadership spill shortly after 2pm on Monday, but it failed to garner any support from his colleagues in order to trigger a vote.

Earlier, Mr Boyce was realistic about unseating the incumbent.

“David Littleproud will remain the leader and he will be comprehensively voted in,” he told ABC radio.

It follows nearly two weeks of infighting between the former coalition parties triggered by a split vote on Labor’s controversial hate speech laws.

The backbencher said he was moving the motion as the Nationals were committing “political suicide” by trying to go it alone without the Liberal Party’s support.

“I’m hoping to achieve a change of leadership in the National Party and the Liberal Party, and then I hope that we can form a coalition agreement, wipe the slate clean, get rid of the egos and personalities, start afresh,” Mr Boyce said.

Several Nationals members expected the motion to fail.

Following the Nationals party room meeting, Mr Littleproud will meet with embattled Opposition Leader Sussan Ley to negotiate reuniting the coalition after its break up last week.

Ms Ley earlier announced an interim Liberal-only shadow cabinet, giving the Nationals a week-long deadline to decide whether the split would be made permanent.

If the parties aren’t reunited by the second sitting week, the Liberals plan to promote six of their MPs to the shadow cabinet and two to the outer shadow ministry.