Bishop rejects Abbott's 'drift to defeat'

Foreign Minister Julie Bishop says she does not agree with former prime minister Tony Abbott's assessment that the government risks a "drift to defeat" if it fails to lift its performance.

Speaking to reporters in London on Thursday Ms Bishop said she had not seen Mr Abbott's "so-called manifesto" to make the next election winnable for a coalition government.

She said the Liberal Party welcomed policy initiatives from ministers and backbenchers and as a former party leader Mr Abbott would have ideas.

But she said she rejected Mr Abbott's "drift to defeat" view.

"I don't accept that characterisation at all."

Ms Bishop said the Turnbull government had been pursuing policies that were in the interests of the Australian people to grow the economy, create jobs and focus on national security.

Mr Abbott has outlined a plan for coalition victory at the next election including scaling back immigration, scrapping the Human Rights Commission, ending subsidies for renewable energy and stopping the "pandering" to climate change "theology".

He has urged a return of his party to the centre right and said he's not surprised at a resurgence of support for One Nation.

"Plainly there are lots of people who are concerned about our direction, and plainly the risk is that we will drift to defeat if we don't lift our game," he said.

When Ms Bishop was asked if she thought Mr Abbott was doing to the Liberal Party what Kevin Rudd did to the Labor Party she said she didn't see it that way.

She also rejected a suggestion in an Andrew Bolt interview with Mr Abbott on Sky News that she was not "conservative, plain-speaking and loyal".

Ms Bishop said she had been elected by the party to be deputy leader and she owed her loyalty to the party room.

"If there's a characterisation about being conservative and plain speaking and loyal I believe I fill that characterisation."

On the West Australian election Ms Bishop said she expected the Liberal Party to win in it's own right without One Nation support as Premier Colin Barnett was the only leader with a plan for the future prosperity of the state.