Photo: RNZSimon Bridges is batting away questions over his leadership of the National Party, saying it is "quite clear" that he will still be the party's leader come September's election. Bridges did say Smith's letter was mentioned today during the party's caucus meeting, but "no concerns like [those Smith mentioned] were raised". After speculation from left-wing bloggers that Bridges' leadership was in trouble, National's deputy leader Paula Bennett proactively tweeted that the speculation was false. Today, Bridges said he stood by the comments he made in the Facebook post. He said National would be focusing on getting New Zealanders back to work "safely and sooner, rather than later".

Source: Otago Daily Times April 28, 2020 03:22 UTC