Janette Howard stopped me being PM, says Costello in new book Ar

THERE are new claims tonight that former Treasurer Peter Costello's chance of being Prime Minister before the last eelection was nobbed by John Howard's wife Janette.

As a nervous Liberal Party awaits the release of Mr Costello's memoirs and a declaration of his future political intensions, there are reports his book will argue Janette Howard was a key factor in Mr Howard's refusal to make way as PM for him.

In fact, a Nine Network report claims that while many of his colleagues wanted Mr Howard to go before the election as the Coalition struggled to combat the Kevin Rudd-led Labor resurgence, Mrs Howard was the one who stopped their hopes being realised.

Mr Costello calls the former prime minister's wife a "consensus of one" and claims she was more powerful than federal cabinet in the lead-up to last year's election, the Nine Network reported tonight.

Mr Costello says Mrs Howard did not want anyone else occupying Kirribilli House when US President George W Bush visited Australia for the APEC summit in Sydney last September, the report said.

Mr Costello's long-awaited book will finally hit the shelves next week, but leaks are proliferating.