There had been a high amount of speculation that Mr English would vacate the leadership position, but the timing came as a surprise to many.
Inside Parliament's first podcast of 2018 looks at the resignation of Leader of the Opposition Bill English, his history and who the contenders are for his job.
Corin Dann, Katie Bradford and Andrea Vance look at the shock timing of the resignation, after Mr English announced his decision on Tuesday.
It came less than a week after the National Party's caucus retreat in Tauranga, where emphasis was placed on an English-Paula Bennett leadership team to take the team forward.
Now, Amy Adams, Judith Collins and Simon Bridges have their eyes on the top spot to lead National into the 2020 election.
Listen to the full podcast on Soundcloud , iTunes and Facebook .
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