Collins tries to put leadership rumours to bed

National Party leader Judith Collins has quashed suggestions her position is under threat and says her MPs are “very comfortable” with the latest caucus reshuffle.

The reshuffle included stripping prominent MP Chris Bishop of the Shadow Leader of the House position and replacing him with Michael Woodhouse.

Collins said it was enable Bishop to “focus solely” on his other role as Covid-19 spokesman for the party.

In the past week Collins has been under fire over her refusal to participate in a virtual Parliament because of level 4 restrictions, and instead travel down to Wellington.

She also raised eyebrows over how she handled an interview on the subject on TVNZ’s Breakfast show, after which Collins lashed out at the presenter for having a “political agenda”.

Speaking on TVNZ’s Q and A yesterday, Collins said she rejected any notion her leadership was under threat.

It came after two columns published by the Herald over the past few days, by political editor Claire Trevett and head of business Fran O’Sullivan, that suggested with the public continuing not to back her style a leadership challenge could be in the wings sooner than expected.

Trevett said the end of lockdown could see National MPs devise “an elimination strategy of their own”, and another low poll of around 25 or 26 per cent was enough to potentially trigger a challenge, even as soon as October.

O’Sullivan wrote that the party was failing its liberal wings, and Collins’ “increasingly authoritarian approach” among her MPs was signalling weakness.

“I don’t know why they’d say that,” Collins said when asked about the columns.

Collins said while “everybody wants to have every portfolio”, Bishop was “very comfortable” with the reshuffle. “It is the biggest job outside the leader . . . He’s discussed it all with me, he’s very happy doing what he’s doing.”