1 NEWS understands National MP Mark Mitchell may put his name forward to contest the National Party leadership vote tomorrow.
"We understand he will let Simon Bridges know first and that hasn't happened yet," 1 NEWS political editor Jessica Mutch McKay said today following the release of today's 1 NEWS Colmar Brunton poll.
The May 1 NEWS Colmar Brunton Poll figures showed:
Labour Party - 59% (up 18 percentage points)
National Party - 29% (down 17 percentage points)
Green Party - 4.7%
New Zealand First - 2.9%
ACT - 2.2%
Māori Party - 1.2%
Don’t Know/Refused - 16%
The poll result heaps pressure on Simon Bridges with MPs set to decide if he stays as National leader. (Source: Other)
"This shows a boom for Labour and a dive for the National Party, for the minor parties, basically taken out of the picture - all except for ACT.
Mutch McKay said as the election nears and the focus on the Covid-19 crisis likely eases, "I do expect that number to narrow".
"It is a wake up for NZ First, for Labour, for the Greens and a shock jolt for the National Party."
She says the election on September 19 is shaping up to be an "election like no other".
National Party leader Simon Bridges was already facing a showdown with party colleagues tomorrow.
"That number 29 is really significant, the Todd Muller/Nikki Kaye camp are saying these numbers are devastating for Simon Bridges, that he just can't recover from this, they say half the caucus would be gone on these numbers," Mutch McKay said.
"They say, in terms of the leadership numbers for tomorrow, they are 'strong'.
"When it comes to Simon Bridges, his camp are saying, 'look, we're playing out a public leadership battle here, that's why we're getting 29, the public is punishing us."
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