The Australian’s Troy Bramston has told Sky News most Labor MPs want Anthony Albanese out of the leadership, but the opposition leader is too “arrogant” and defiant to give up the job.

Labor leadership speculation has continued through to 2021, with reports of numerous Labor MPs lining up for the leader’s role.

Mr Bramston said Labor MPs went into the Christmas period feeling “demoralised, disillusioned” and not confident with the party’s policy strategy, and now “most of them” are on the verge of declaring the need for a new leader.

“But the problem is that they can’t agree on who that leader’s going to be”.

He said the opposition leader won’t likely fall on his sword and make way for new leadership despite growing leadership tension.

“He comes across to me as fairly arrogant, fairly stubborn, set in his ways,” Mr Bramston said.

“He’s said a number of times now he thinks the next election has already been run and won. He thinks he will be the prime minister after the next election.

“A lot of MPs tell me he is irritable, he is cranky, he’s not approachable, and he’s defiant. They’re going to have to blast him out of that position.

“There is a number of caucus members now – be in no mistake about this – who want to force the leadership issue before the next election and they want to get rid of him. And there’s a bunch of other MPs who think he should go, but are trying to work out at the moment who should replace him.”