The Trade Minister has dismissed a potential National Party leadership challenge, saying he has full confidence Christopher Luxon will lead the party into the election.
The NZ Herald reports unnamed sources claiming the PM avoided meeting with a senior MP trying to present evidence of flagging caucus support.
Todd McClay told Morning Report he had little faith in anonymous comments and the caucus still supported Luxon.
"He has my absolute undying support, he's doing a very, very good job. Something on a front page with unnamed MPs just sounds like speculation and mischief, the caucus supports the prime minister, we're united," he said.
"One-thousand percent confident, the answer is yes he will [lead National into the election]."
National Minister Chris Bishop, who has been rumoured as a potential leadership contender, on Friday told Newstalk ZB that 'there is no coup happening'.
"Sounds like people have been talking a bit about possible caucus matters ... It is 'rumoured this' and 'rumoured that'," he said.
When Hosking asked him to rule out being involved in a coup or putting pressure on the Prime Minister to resign, he responded:
"I am not trying to upend the party. That is not happening."
Bishop acknowledged people wanted the National Party to improve.
"Everyone wants us to do better. That is a statement of reality. People want us to do better and I know the Prime Minister wants us to do better as well."
McClay hoping for India FTA breakthrough
McClay said the party's focus remained on making life better for New Zealanders, with his immediate focus as trade minister on earning Labour's support for the Fair Trade Agreement with India.
"We've been engaging with Labour for four months now, there have been more than 26 contacts including the last one, a sit-down meeting with all of my officials for four and a half hours, so we have been working away at this in good faith," he said.
"At the end of the meeting they asked for some other things that we've put together and have been talking about a time for everyone to meet again, that'll take place on Monday."
He was hopeful that meeting would result in a breakthrough.
"For Monday, the legal experts that we've relied upon will be made available as well, so they'll be there to answer any questions that Labour has," he said.
"At the end of the day they've got to make the decisions for themselves, but I don't see anything that gets in the way of support of this agreement with 1.4 billion people. It is significant."
"There is a reason why the two main parties in parliament have supported every trade agreement, because we know they are good for New Zealand."
This story was first published on rnz.co.nz |  |
