Days after Malcolm Turnbull lambasted two former Australian prime ministers as “miserable ghosts”, the ex-liberal leader has copped a trademark bruising critique from Paul Keating.

Mr Keating who led the Labor Party government from 1991 to 1996 condemned the recently ousted PM for turning his back on the fight for a republic and an unproductive three-year government.

Speaking to the Sydney Morning Herald, Mr Keating said Mr Turnbull had “failed dismally” in championing the cause of the Liberal party during his time in office.

It comes after Mr Turnbull labelled former prime ministers Tony Abbott and Kevin Rudd “miserable ghosts” for remaining in politics after losing partyroom ballots.

But Mr Keating said Mr Turnbull was not fit to dish out such brutal criticism because of his lack of leadership, describing the former PM’s remarks as making “you choke on your Weeties”.

“His capitulation to conservatives on the republic says all that needs to be said about Malcolm’s wider ambitions for the country,” Mr Keating said.

He attacks Kevin Rudd and Tony Abbott as ghosts, yet if you needed to know what Malcolm Turnbull truly believes in, what he would die in a ditch over, you would need a microscope to help you find it.”

On Tuesday, Mr Turnbull also copped critcicism on social media after slashing the thousands of accounts he followed on Twitter to just more than 20.

After many years, I have now been unfollowed by @TurnbullMalcolm on Twitter. He has cleared his followers entirely and has chosen to follow just 17 accounts. A few family members, left or centre news sites, world leaders and ABC and Fairfax journos. This says so much about him.

— Matthew Lesh (@matthewlesh) October 2, 2018

The former PM retained only a select group, including family members, US President Donald Trump, French President Emmanuel Macron and his Prime Minister, Edouard Philippe, The Sydney Morning Herald, Guardian Australia and Nine News political editor Chris Uhlmann.

After many years, I have still not been followed by @TurnbullMalcolm on Twitter. I have followed him for many years and he has not returned the courtesy. In fact, honestly, I am entitled to a follow. Has Turnbull not heard of #follow4follow? This says so much about him.

— Jennine (@jennineak) October 2, 2018

While Paul Keating has never bothered with social media, his comments in Fairfax on Wednesday would not be amiss on the Twitter #auspol thread as he hit out at Tony Abbott’s  “villainy and incompetence on a grand scale” for his 2014 budget and decision to abolish carbon pricing.

However, Mr Keating praised Mr Rudd for helping Australia avoid a deep recession during the 2008 global financial crisis and acknowledged that Mr Turnbull was treated unfairly by fellow Liberal party colleagues.

“When Malcolm Turnbull lost the prime ministership, I did feel the Liberal Party had treated him very shabbily and that he had not deserved such contempt from his peers,” Mr Keating said.

“But absence of belief and vacillation in the big job carries risk and with it, attendant danger, leaving the field open to subterranean malcontents and their sympathisers,” he added.