Auckland (The NZ Today)
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon faces a crucial morning inside National, with MPs gathering in Wellington for an urgent 9.30am caucus meeting called to settle growing questions over his leadership just months out from the election.
Most National MPs arriving in the capital have publicly backed Luxon, but not everyone has been willing to give him an explicit endorsement as speculation continues over whether there is enough support inside caucus for a change at the top.
National MP Joseph Mooney remained tight-lipped when asked directly whether he supported Luxon, saying only that leadership discussions belonged inside the caucus room and were “a matter for caucus”.
Minister Nicola Grigg, however, gave Luxon a clear endorsement, saying he remained the best person to lead National into the election. She also pushed back on speculation surrounding Erica Stanford, describing Stanford as a very good friend but saying she did not believe she was a prime ministerial prospect.
Minister Matt Doocey also said Luxon had his support, while former minister Melissa Lee said she was unaware of any organised push for a leadership change and had not been contacted by colleagues about replacing him.
Lee said calling MPs together was the right move if there was dissatisfaction inside the party, but expressed confidence Luxon would remain leader.
The meeting follows last few days of increasingly public speculation over Luxon’s future. 1News reports that some senior National MPs have been considering whether the Prime Minister should be asked to step aside, while other MPs have continued to back him.
Luxon himself forced the issue into the open on Tuesday when he summoned MPs back to Wellington, saying increased speculation about his leadership needed to be resolved quickly rather than becoming an ongoing distraction during the election campaign.
The meeting carries additional weight because Luxon has already faced a caucus confidence vote. He survived that test in April and said afterwards that National MPs had clearly backed his leadership.
But fresh pressure has followed a series of political problems, including his comments to Rotorua businesses, tensions involving coalition partner Winston Peters and his surprise proposal for another referendum on MMP.
Possible alternatives have also begun to feature prominently in leadership speculation, although there is no confirmed challenger at this stage. Erica Stanford, Chris Bishop and Nicola Willis have all been discussed publicly as figures who could feature if National decided to make a change.
With the caucus meeting beginning at 9.30am today, National MPs will now have to decide whether to put the leadership questions behind them — or turn days of speculation into a formal challenge.
This story is based on reporting first published by RNZ, with additional information from 1News.
