Crumbs off the buoyant PM’s table

David Seymour, is congratulated after winning Epsom for Act. sealed the party’s fate.

The party’s polling had increased after he took over as Act’s new leader in February but dropped after former Act MP John Banks was found guilty of filing a false electoral return in June, Dr Whyte said.

“There were some reasons to believe that the polls were inaccurate. For example, we thought we were getting quite a lot of support from the Chinese community.

“We came in around where the polls had been so I can’t claim to be surprised.

“It’s harder for us when National’s doing well. It always has been. If you look at our fortunes they’re inversely related to National’s.” The election success of National has weakened the bargaining power of their support parties.

Prime Minister John Key yesterday said he had spoken to United Future leader Peter Dunne and Maori Party co-leader Te Ururoa Flavell. His office has spoken to Act MP David Seymour.

It was ‘‘highly likely’’ that National would have confidence and supply agreements with Act, United Future and the Maori Party and he expected to discuss ministerial positions with Mr Dunne and Mr Flavell.

Mr Seymour conceded his party wasn’t holding a strong hand. ‘‘We are, of course, starting from a position of very little leverage.’’

While he accepted he was new to Parliament and would have a focus on being an effective Epsom MP, ‘‘actually being, for example, the associate minister of education and keep working on enhancing our partnership school policy would have some benefit but of course it’s entirely up to the Prime Minister’’.

Mr Key did not rule out a portfolio for Mr Seymour yesterday.

Mr Flavell and Mr Dunne were refusing to reveal their hands before talks with National.

Mr Flavell said ‘‘we’re not in a position to talk about any sort of deals or anything like that at the moment’’.

Mr Dunne refused to comment on whether he would again seek the revenue portfolio that he’d held until resigning it in June last year.