Public unity but fraught behind doors

• Published date: 22 January 2023
• Publication title: Herald on Sunday

She gave the role of Prime Minister everything she had. One job alone should never define you but the role of PM is different and is all-consuming. There is very little time off and, even when you try to grab a day with the family in private, you can never be away from your phone

So announcing her resignation would not have been easy. She wanted to hold herself with dignity and not let the mass of emotion engulf her. She did just that.

Her challenge will be to stay out of the way of a new leader and let them have clear air. John Key had overseas travel and golf to take up his time. She has a little girl who will be delighted, I am sure, to have Mum around more.

New leader Chris Hipkins looks guaranteed to be confirmed by the Labour Party. There is no way the party wanted a drawn-out public debate on leadership in an election year.

But the lobbying and securing of votes will have been fraught, even with an obvious successor. There will be those who were supporting their chosen leader working the phones. There will have been lists — the guarantees, the “no’s” and the all-important “unknown or not declared”.

MPs are ambitious enough to want to be on the leader’s side — but don’t have the backbone to make the call in case they get it wrong.

Those people never go that far in their careers.

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