Seymour, one of Luxon\u2019s two coalition partners, wouldn\u2019t speculate on the outcome of tomorrow\u2019s meeting but told the Herald, \u201cdistractions are not what New Zealand needs\u201d. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe need to cut the waste in Wellington and grow the country, not point the fingers at each other as politicians.\u201d<\/p>\n
Asked if National should keep Luxon as leader and Prime Minister, Seymour replied: \u201cLook, I never get involved in another party\u2019s internal politics\u201d.<\/p>\n
He confirmed he had not spoken to Luxon about his leadership or tomorrow\u2019s meeting. <\/p>\n
Seymour suggested National\u2019s turmoil could reflect poorly on the party. <\/p>\n
\u201cWell, people are pretty hard up at this point in New Zealand\u2019s history, and I think they want politicians to focus on solving their problems instead of each other.\u201d<\/p>\n
However, he believed it would not reflect poorly on the three-party coalition. <\/p>\n
\u201cI think people can see that there are three different parties in the coalition and my party has been consistent and effective at serving people, but I can\u2019t speak for others.\u201d<\/p>\n
Luxon, Seymour and NZ First leader Winston Peters signed coalition agreements after the 2023 election, providing the foundation of the Government\u2019s agenda. It\u2019s understood coalition negotiations did not feature discussion about the consequence of a party leader change. <\/p>\n
Asked how he viewed the coalition agreements if Luxon was no longer National leader, Seymour indicated their policy commitments were the most important facet. <\/p>\n
\u201cIn my view, our coalition agreements are about delivering policy to make New Zealand a better place.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t want to comment on what they might or might not do, except that it\u2019s the policies and the culture of the party that ultimately matter.\u201d <\/p>\n
Peters has been approached for comment. <\/p>\n
National MP Chris Bishop, who there has been speculation about as a potential contender, has denied such ambitions.<\/p>\n
However, he didn\u2019t deny there was appetite for leadership change within the party when asked this morning. <\/p>\n
Bishop was speaking to reporters at the opening of Te Mahia Station level crossing in Auckland when he was asked about leadership conversations. <\/p>\n
\u201cI am not going to comment today on media stories like that,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
When it was put to him that he wasn\u2019t denying National MPs were telling the media about a potential leadership change, Bishop responded: \u201cWell, I mean, I\u2019m not going to deny the Herald\u2019s reported it\u201c.<\/p>\n
\u201cAll I would say is people shouldn\u2019t be talking to media like that. We\u2019ve been down this road before. It\u2019s not helpful.\u201d<\/p>\n
Bishop said the briefing \u201cindicates a couple of people who are prepared to talk to media are unhappy about it\u201d. <\/p>\n
He said anonymous briefings to the media were \u201cunhelpful and not what caucus members should be doing\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cI am not going to comment on anonymous briefings.\u201d<\/p>\n
The minister said he retained confidence in Luxon.<\/p>\n
National’s Chris Bishop says: \u201cI don\u2019t talk about calls that I have with my caucus colleagues\u201d.
\nPhoto \/ Jason Dorday<\/p>\n
Asked whether there had been calls among MPs about the party\u2019s leadership, Bishop responded: \u201cI don\u2019t talk about calls that I have with my caucus colleagues\u201d.<\/p>\n
Bishop said he spoke with MPs on the phone regularly, as is normal when MPs are out of Wellington during a recess week.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a recess week, people are out and about. I think I\u2019m in about four different cities in the next four days, so of course people are talking on the phones.\u201d<\/p>\n
Earlier, Bishop said National\u2019s caucus would be meeting virtually this week, and this was prescheduled. He didn\u2019t believe Luxon\u2019s leadership was on the agenda.<\/p>\n
The virtual meeting had been set for 8.30pm on Tuesday night. It\u2019s unclear if this meeting is proceeding after the Prime Minister\u2019s social media post.<\/p>\n
Bishop was unsure why his name continued to come up amid leadership speculation.<\/p>\n
\u201cI am just getting on with the job.\u201d<\/p>\n
Former Prime Minister Sir John Key said reports he was phoning around for Luxon were “untrue”. Photo \/ Dean Purcell<\/p>\n
There have been reports that former Prime Minister Sir John Key had been phoning MPs lobbying on Luxon\u2019s behalf. Key told the Herald these reports were \u201cuntrue\u201d. <\/p>\n
It follows Herald revelations last night that discontented National MPs were hitting the phones on Monday about a potential leadership change.<\/p>\n
One MP said \u201cthere\u2019s going to be change\u201d in the top job, but it was a \u201cquestion of who is going to be it\u201d. <\/p>\n
They cited Bishop and Erica Stanford as potential front-runners.<\/p>\n
Both have previously denied ambitions for the leadership, though caucus sources have said they believe both MPs are contenders despite their public statements. <\/p>\n
Other National MPs spoken to expressed openness to change, but did not say they were definitively in either camp, while an MP in Luxon\u2019s camp disagreed with change.<\/p>\n