Luxon says in interview he's 'absolutely not' stepping aside

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has ruled out the possibility of stepping aside, after a shock political poll was said to have left him considering his options.

The Taxpayers Union Curia poll results, released on Friday, showed just 28.4% support for National, its worst result since the turmoil of 2020 and 2021. Dropping below 30% has previously been seen as a sign of failure from National MPs.

But the prime minister ruled out any leadership change in an interview with Newstalk ZB on Friday afternoon, saying his party stood behind him.

“Absolutely not,” he said, when asked if he would stand aside.