A stark contrast to National

What a tumultuous 24 hours in camp Labour.

On Monday night Andrew Little was probably going, but it was his call. But just in case, a Jacinda Ardern-Kelvin Davis ticket was waiting in the wings. Either way his deadline was up.

Yesterday morning he was likely to be staying – or at least that’s what he told a reporter staking him at the airport.

Then the word was he did have the numbers if he wanted to fight on – and remember it is his call!

And as he headed to the press conference the word rippled ahead. He was going (and he didn’t have the numbers anyway).

Even as the press conference was mustering up to hear he was going some top advisers seemed to think he had decided to stay.

But in the end Little made the inevitable call. If it hadn’t happened yesterday he would have had to stick it out until the campaign – and it would have dogged him in what was already shaping as an intractable fight.

Once he had conceded publicly he had offered to resign – and more damagingly announced he could not credibly form a government on current polling at around 24 per cent – the die had been rolled.

From Labour’s perspective there is of course a risk in changing horses at this late stage.

But what better time to cash in on a new leader’s ‘‘honeymoon’’ than in the hurly burly of a campaign. And really, could it get any worse than a slide from 29 per cent to 23 per cent in two weeks – and with the campaign yet to start.

In a world where surprise is the new norm, it may not even feel like that much of a risk.

Ardern’s next hours as leader will be a whirlwind. What does she say about the memorandum of understanding with the Greens, so opposed by some in her caucus?

And what of all those policies, billboards and campaign videos?

Does she radically revamp her front bench and find a new job for Grant Robertson and a new finance spokesman – perhaps back to the future with David Parker? What does the elevation of Davis mean for the Maori caucus and the Maori seats? You’d have to think things just turned uglier for the Maori Party.

There is no doubt she presents a stark contrast with Bill English in every way that Little did not.

If nothing else Labour can console itself with one thing: It has got our attention.