Luxon survives confidence vote as New Zealand PM
Ben McKay |
Chris Luxon has sensationally brought on and survived a confidence vote in his own leadership as he attempts to move on from leadership tensions.
The New Zealand prime minister, beset by poor polling and leaks from inside his National party, said he used a caucus meeting on Tuesday for a “good, honest discussion” in his leadership.
After a marathon partyroom debate, he emerged alongside his deputy Nicola Willis to announce his MPs had offered support for him to stay on.
“I moved a formal motion of confidence in my leadership. That motion was passed, confirming what I have been saying: I have the support of my caucus as their leader,” he told journalists in Wellington.
The party has not revealed a tally of the vote, undertaken by secret ballot.
And as much as Mr Luxon may wish it, the vote is unlikely to draw a line under dissatisfaction around his leadership – both among his MPs and the public.
Mr Luxon took the centre-right National party into government in 2023, winning the election and forming a coalition with the NZ First and ACT parties.
However, the former Air New Zealand chief executive has never been well-liked by Kiwis and both he and his party have bled support since.
A bombshell poll released by TVNZ on Sunday showed the coalition losing office to Labour if an election were held last week.
It had Mr Luxon as the preferred prime minister of just 16 per cent of respondents – behind opposition leader Chris Hipkins – with net personal approval of negative 23 per cent.
An election will be held on November 7, sharpening concerns among those National MPs likely to lose their seats.
Tuesday’s vote follows several reports suggesting Mr Luxon’s leadership is far from sure.
In November, Wellington newspaper The Post reported senior cabinet minister Chris Bishop was acting as a sounding board for frustrations at Mr Luxon’s leadership.
While both men deny the allegations, Mr Luxon stripped Mr Bishop of a key campaign role in a reshuffle last month.
Earlier in April, the NZ Herald reported Mr Luxon “ghosted” his party whip who was attempting to inform him of flagging support among his MPs.
That report was also denied by Mr Luxon and whip Stuart Smith.
In recent days, Mr Luxon has shifted from outright denial of leadership problems to minimising the issue, saying it was contained to “five people that are moaning”.
On Tuesday morning, conservative broadcaster Mike Hosking named those five MPs as Andrew Bayly, Barbara Kuriger, Tim van de Molen, Joseph Mooney, and Sam Uffindell.
All five have been in tangles with Mr Luxon since he took the leadership in late 2021.
Mr Bayly, Mr van de Molen and Mr Uffindell were demoted owing to various misbehaviours, Ms Kuriger resigned a portfolio due a conflict of interest, while Mr Mooney was rebuked for his views on the Treaty of Waitangi.
In Question Time on Tuesday, Mr Hipkins asked Mr Luxon whether he had the unanimous support of his partyroom, to which he replied “absolutely”.
The prime minister did not take questions from journalists, but in pointed remarks dismissed leadership speculation as a “media soap opera” that Kiwis weren’t interested in.
“Caucus has answered clearly and decisively. It has backed my leadership,” he said.
“If the media want to keep focusing on speculation and rumour, I am not going to engage.
“That matter is now closed and I won’t be commenting further on it.”
Winston Peters, the leader of key coalition support party NZ First, told journalists the leadership vote was “not good”.
“The public is entitled to expect stability of a government,” he said, as reported by NZ outlet Stuff.
“This is a horrible distraction (and) we’ve got to deal with it and stop wasting our time with this sort of stuff.
AAP