National MP Erica Stanford says her decision to stay silent on if she backed Christopher Luxon this week "didn't work out that well," as she called an impromptu media conference to shut down what she described as "frenzied" media speculation.
Stanford said she had backed Luxon "a million times", declared her support "100%", and insisted she wanted only to stay in her portfolios - a barrage of reassurance that came after a week of speculation she was a prime contender to replace him.
She insisted she had taken no part in the failed challenge against Luxon instigated by minister Chris Penk, who she still suggested was a "great loss" to the party.
"No, I've already ruled myself out. I want to be the Minister of Education and Immigration, mostly education, for the next nine years. I love my job, and I've got so much more to do," she said when asked if she would stand if Luxon lost the election.
The Prime Minister emerged from a three-hour caucus meeting on Wednesday having won a confidence vote, with Wayne Mapp saying it wasn't as clean as previous attempts. (Source: Breakfast)
"He (Luxon) has given me an incredible opportunity to do the job that I'm doing to raise achievement, close the equity gap, and it wasn't for him, I wouldn't be able to be doing this. And many of our other ministers as well owe him a huge debt of gratitude."
The senior minister spent much of last week declining to talk to reporters about if she backed the Prime Minister as she moved through Auckland and Wellington, drawing attention at a time her name was being floated as a possible successor.
She offered several explanations for staying quiet, speaking to media today. Stanford also offered a statement late last week affirming her support for Luxon.
At Wellington Airport, she said, a "frenzied media mob" had "knocked into an elderly gentleman behind me", prompting her to turn away.
"It was really stressful, and I did make the decision, given that I've backed the Prime Minister a million times, not to say anything, but you know what? It didn't work out that well for me, so here we are today," she said.
Christopher Luxon says dissident minister Chris Penk had to go but refuses to give caucus vote count. (Source: 1News)
"No matter what I say, you guys keep printing the opposite, and so I made the choice to say nothing. It wasn't in any way not backing the PM, I backed him a million times."
Stanford then said she skipped media on Friday because she was running late for a principals' lunch and wanted to give Luxon "clear air" for a South Island announcement.
She was emphatic she had not been part of any move against Luxon, which the Prime Minister's Office said was solely launched by then-defence minister Chris Penk.
"I wasn't involved in any leadership challenge. I didn't challenge the Prime Minister, and I can definitively say I didn't ask anybody else to either," she said.
Stanford also denied reports Penk had been counting numbers for her.
"I didn't do any numbers at all. I can categorically tell you. I certainly didn't," she said.
Coup-plotter was a 'wonderful' minister, 'great loss'
But she did have kind words for the sacked minister himself, describing his removal and retirement as MP as a loss to the party.
Political scientist Lara Greaves and former National Party advisor Ben Thomas speak about the challenges ahead for the National Party, less than three months out from the election. (Source: Breakfast)
"Chris Penk is a wonderful minister, and he's an excellent local MP, and of course, I'm sad for him, and the Prime Minister makes those decisions," she said.
"Can I just say about Chris Penk? I worked with him for two and a half years while he was the associate minister of immigration, and he had huge heart, huge brain, not only in his portfolios but also as a local MP.
"The reason that we are going to have a secondary school in Kumeū is because of his advocacy for the last nine years, and now we've bought the land, funded the design, and we're going to start building it come the next Budget.
"He'll be a great loss to us."
The National MP said she had called today's media stand-up of her own volition, but that the Prime Minister's Office was aware of it going ahead.
Luxon survived a confidence vote at Wednesday's caucus meeting before sacking Penk, who has since announced he will not seek re-election in November.
Other parties are scathing of the “damaging” and “circus” antics from the governing party. (Source: 1News)
The Prime Minister's Office confirmed to 1News that Stanford and other rumoured leadership hopeful Chris Bishop did not make a challenge at the caucus meeting.
Asked earlier this week whether he was confident Stanford and Bishop had nothing to do with Penk's challenge, Luxon replied simply: "Yes."
Speaking today, Stanford also addressed comments from National MP Nicola Grigg, who had described her as a good friend but not someone she saw as a prime minister.
"She is an excellent friend of mine, one of my best friends in caucus. I know exactly what she meant ... she backs the Prime Minister. I back the Prime Minister. I've spoken to her twice, I've visited her electorate since, and we had a good laugh about it," she said.
National Party leader gains the numbers in a confidence vote four months after the previous one. (Source: 1News)
Minister claims she mainly learned coup through media
When asked, Stanford also suggested her awareness of the moves against Luxon had come chiefly through the media rather than any inside role, saying she had learned of the challenge the same way the public did.
"I found out via the media, and of course it would be ridiculous to think that all of us didn't have conversations about it before the meeting," she said.
"But I don't talk about what happened in those meetings."
She made a similar point about being called back to Wellington for the caucus vote.
"You were reporting it, so we were all called back to Wellington. So there was reason to expect that that was what was happening," she said.
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