Peters rejects speculation about his desire for top job

Winston Peters hasn’t gone as far to say he would reject the prime minister’s job but, in his latest speech, he claims he has done ‘‘what had to be done ...not what was good for my promotion’’. The NZ First leader described speculation about him and the top job as ‘‘mindless’’ by ‘‘countless, unethical, unprofessional and dishonest commentators’’. They claimed to know what he wanted without ‘‘one shred of evidence’’, but they are ‘‘so odious as to carry on regardless and misrepresent me’’.