Auckland (The NZ Today)
Fresh questions are being raised over Christopher Luxon’s leadership after National MPs reportedly began calling one another to discuss whether the party needs a change at the top just months out from the election.
The New Zealand Herald, which first broke the story, reported that one National MP had received several calls on Monday about a possible leadership change, while other caucus members were also said to be discussing Luxon’s future.
The latest unease reportedly intensified after Luxon unexpectedly backed another referendum on New Zealand’s MMP voting system last week — a position that appeared to catch some of his own colleagues by surprise.
According to the Herald’s caucus sources, Chris Bishop and Erica Stanford are among the names being discussed as possible alternatives. Stanford, however, publicly ruled herself out of a leadership bid over the weekend, while both she and Bishop have previously expressed support for Luxon.
There is no confirmation that a formal leadership challenge is under way. Some National MPs contacted by the Herald were open to the idea of change, while others remained firmly behind Luxon.
The speculation comes after a difficult run for the Prime Minister, including his apology over comments to Rotorua businesses, criticism of his handling of Winston Peters’ controversial remarks and questions over his surprise MMP referendum proposal.
Luxon also faced a confidence vote within National earlier this year. The Herald has previously reported that MPs believed he survived that vote by 27 to 22, although the actual result remains confidential within the party.
Despite the internal chatter, National’s latest public polling is not disastrous. The recent Taxpayers’ Union–Curia poll put the party on 31 percent, ahead of Labour on 27.8 percent, with the current coalition narrowly retaining enough seats to govern.
Luxon’s office told the Herald it had not heard of fresh leadership speculation and said the Prime Minister would continue appearing before media during the week.
With the November election drawing closer, however, even talk of MPs privately discussing alternatives could become a major distraction for National — particularly if questions about Luxon’s leadership begin to overshadow the party’s campaign.
