May 21, 2020
Attack on Bridges too late to save National
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Former leader of Mana Motuhake and deputy leader of Alliance Sandra Lee-Vercoe says getting rid of Simon Bridges as leader won’t save National’s prospects in the coming election.
The National caucus is meeting today to decide whether to replace the Ngāti Maniapoto MP and his deputy Paula Bennett with Bay of Plenty MP Todd Muller and Auckland Central’s Nikki Kaye.
Ms Vercoe-Lee says despite failing to resonate with the public because of his negative approach, Mr Bridges kept his party’s support numbers high until coronavirus highlighted Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern’s ability to lead in a crisis.
"Her performance has been so strong that it doesn't matter who they put up, or how much they hope that once the effects of the unemployment kicks in post coronavirus lockdowns, that will get them across the line. It simply won't. There's too much ground to recover and not enough time to do it in, and that's why I tend to think the smart money for National would have been to claw back some of those party numbers and have a change of leadership if they must after the next election," she says.
Sandra Lee says even though Simon Bridges has seemed disconnected from his Māori side, the way he has fought back is tuturu Māori.
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