One of Peter Dutton’s strongest supporters in the media has stumbled in a tirade over the Liberal Party’s turmoil, provoking questions about the close links between the leadership challenger and parts of the media.

The questions came after 2GB host Ray Hadley told listeners of a text message he had received from a “Liberal Party MP” that attacked Scott Morrison, a potential leadership rival to Mr Dutton.

“Scott Morrison is now running around trying to put a ticket between himself and Peter Dutton together to try to challenge Malcolm Turnbull,” Hadley read.

“He’s told those he’s lobbying he won’t serve as my – as the deputy to Peter Dutton.”

The reference to “my” deputy led some listeners to think the text came from Mr Dutton, adding to the impression that the 2GB radio host was part of a political and media clique determined to force a leadership change at the top of the federal government.

Mr Hadley told Fairfax Media the text had not come from Mr Dutton and the questions over his comments were a “storm in a teacup”.

The questions grew after the radio station removed the stumble and put an edited version of the segment on the 2GB website.

Mr Dutton has received vocal support in recent days from 2GB radio host Alan Jones and Sky News commentator Peta Credlin as well as Hadley.

“The Liberal party room needs to have a long, hard think about who is manipulating it, and to what ends,” said Imre Salusinszky, a former adviser to Liberal NSW premiers Barry O’Farrell and Mike Baird.

Mr Hadley broke off his relationship with Mr Morrison in an angry split in April last year after the Treasurer did a radio interview with the ABC rather than speak to 2GB.

That followed a rift at the end of 2015 when Mr Hadley asked Mr Morrison, live on air, to swear on a bible that he had been loyal to Tony Abbott in the leadership spill of September that year.

Replay

Replay Video

Loading

Play Video

Play Video

Playing in 5 ...Don't Play

Mr Hadley accurately predicted the leadership spill that took place on Tuesday, telling listeners last week that a challenge would come within a fortnight, and he has urged a decision to install Mr Dutton in place of Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull.

Fairfax Media asked Mr Hadley if he was reading out a text from Mr Dutton and he responded that his stumble appeared to be causing some “consternation” in some quarters.

“I was ad-libbing as I do for most of my three hours, stumbled on a word, without my knowledge digital staff as they often do tidied up my stumble to make me sound better,” he said.

“For the record the contact I had within the Liberal Party was not Peter Dutton. Seems to be a storm in a teacup. If you listen to the rest of the program there’s 50 other stumbles the digital team would have edited.”