‘Cunliffe factor’ always dogged rookie’s leadership

DAVID SHEARER was still a rookie MP when he stepped into Phil Goff’s shoes as Labour leader after an American-style leadership ‘‘primary’’ against the more seasoned David Cunliffe in 2011.

His back story as a humanitarian and former UN boss in Iraq and other troublespots around the world seemed to make him the ideal candidate to cast against money man John Key.

But his leadership was not universally accepted, particularly among the rejuvenated Left-wing faction. Many saw his candidacy as a ‘‘spoiler’’ to Mr Cun- liffe, who is widely believed to have won the grassroots vote in the primary, but lacked caucus support.

The ‘‘Cunliffe factor’’ has dogged Mr Shearer’s leadership ever since, with some party insiders likening it to the debilitating rivalry between former Australian prime minister Julia Gillard and the man she ousted, Kevin Rudd.

The issue came to a head last November, when the party’s annual conference was derailed by a showdown with rank and file over the way the leader would be elected in future. Mr Cunliffe threw fuel on the fire by refusing to rule out a future tilt at the job, forcing Mr Shearer to shore up his leadership by demoting Mr Cunliffe from the front bench.

But his hope that the show of strength would put the issue of his leadership to bed was short lived. A succession of blunders and rising concern about his lack of political nous caused the leadership chatter to resume in earnest about six weeks ago.