The government believed last night the opposition's resistance could backfire on Tony Abbott because he was now under pressure to provide a Speaker from Liberal ranks. This could cost the Coalition a vote on the floor and give Labor an increased buffer.

Fairfax Media understands Labor has approached several Liberal and National MPs and offered the numbers to support them for the role. The Speaker is decided by a secret ballot of all 150 MPs.

But the Liberals are likely to argue Labor should provide the Speaker and lose a number.

Mr Oakeshott warned of a ''Mexican standoff'' between the major parties before Parliament's resumption next week.

Mr Abbott faced a fresh fight internally as well last night with the National Party demanding one of its MPs, not a Liberal, fill the position of Deputy Speaker or Speaker, whichever position finally fell to the Coalition.

''The convention has always been the Nationals will put up the Deputy Speaker,'' a Nationals source warned yesterday. ''To change that now would cause enormous instability in the Coalition, which is the last thing Tony Abbott would want.''

The Nationals want Bruce Scott, currently the Second Deputy Speaker, to take the lead role for the Coalition. Mr Oakeshott backed away after a meeting in Sydney yesterday with Mr Abbott and the manager of opposition business, Christopher Pyne. The opposition was concerned Mr Oakeshott becoming speaker would be impractical and unconstitutional. The Labor Party harboured the same concerns but avoided stating them publicly.

Traditionally, the government chooses the Speaker and Deputy Speaker, with the opposition providing the second deputy.

Under the reforms Mr Oakeshott negotiated with the major parties, the government would appoint the Speaker and the opposition the deputy. The Speaker is unable to vote so to preserve the 76-74 majority in Parliament, Mr Oakeshott negotiated for the deputy to also not vote, a process called ''pairing''.

The Coalition said this pairing would be unconstitutional because it effectively allowed the Speaker to cast a vote by taking an opposing view out of play. It pushed for the Labor incumbent, Harry Jenkins, to remain as Speaker with no pair. This would reduce Labor's majority on the floor to 75-74.

But in a statement issued after the meeting, Mr Oakeshott said the Liberals should provide the Speaker because this would be ''a step towards the Westminster model of a truly independent speaker''. ''I look forward to a positive response,'' he said.

The speakership is a lucrative job paying $240,000, the same as a minister. It comes with status and lots of overseas travel.

During the process, Labor has never proposed either Mr Jenkins or any other Labor MP become Speaker but is still prepared to put forward Mr Jenkins if the pairing agreement could be arranged. A dismayed Mr Oakeshott said he had assumed that during his negotiations due diligence had been done.