Leadership no Little decision
Former union boss says Labour election policies need to be reconsidered.
The Labour leadership race could yet have another twist after ex-union official Andrew Little said he would consider a bid for the top job.
Little’s return to Parliament was secured at the final vote count yesterday, and his focus immediately shifted to the leadership contest.
“It’s something I may now well consider,” he said. “There’s been a continuous stream of messages all afternoon and I had people contact me about it. I’d be silly not to.”
He would discuss the issue with his family, colleagues and unions over the next few days.
Little admitted he was starting from a long way back. He had served only one term as a list MP and lost two campaigns in New Plymouth.
He was openly critical of Labour’s election campaign yesterday, saying its big policies such as raising the superannuation age had made Labour “a scary prospect”.
Little even suggested Labour might have to reconsider its capital gains tax policy, because the party had taken it to two elections and lost support.
“Like it or not, there are a lot of people on middling and modest incomes who own a second property . . . and that turned them off us.”
As a former EPMU national secretary he could secure support from Labour-affiliated unions, which make up 20 per cent of the votes in a leadership contest.
Most EPMU delegates
backed David Cunliffe at the last contest, but the union said this week its support for Cunliffe was not guaranteed after Labour’s poor election showing. Cunliffe and Grant Robertson are the only confirmed leadership contenders so far. Other potential candidates include former leader David Shearer and Napier MP Stuart Nash.
Robertson said yesterday he would welcome a bid by Little, and noted it could not be assumed that he would get the union vote.
Nash reiterated yesterday he would not put his hat in the ring. Asked about Little, he said he “really rated him”.
It has been reported that Nash would rule himself out of a bid if Little ran. Nash said Little’s plans had no bearing on his decisions.
The comments from Little and Nash came just hours after the confirmation of the final election result which left the National Party with one fewer seat than on election night.
In the final count, West Coastbased Maureen Pugh lost her list spot, and the final spot in Parliament was picked up by the Green Party’s Steffan Browning.
National will now have to rely on coalition partners to form a majority.