Winston Peters doubles down on prediction there will be National Party 'infighting' after they 'take out' Simon Bridges and Paula Bennett

July 31, 2018

On his last day as Acting PM, Mr Peters said he felt sorry for the two National leaders who, he claimed, would not remain in their roles long.

Winston Peters has doubled down on his prediction for the political careers of Simon Bridges and Paula Bennett, claiming once again they will be "taken out" by their National colleagues as leaders before a round of party "infighting". 

Speaking on TVNZ 1's Breakfast on his last day as Acting Prime Minister, Mr Peters replied to National leader Simon Bridges' assertion that the Government was worried about the threat they in Opposition posed.

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Today, Mr Peters indeed confirmed he was worried for them "but only in a compassionate sense".

"When I said they were going to come for Paula Bennett I'm talking about my understanding of the National Party of which I was a member before any of those people were, and I know how the modern National Party acts," he said.

"It's not the old National Party, and so I feel sorry for Paula Bennett because they'll take her out, then they'll take out Simon Bridges, and then they'll have a round of internecine fighting which is already there as we speak.

"We all know it, so let's not kid ourselves." 

After Mr Peters' original comments on The Nation on Saturday, Ms Bennett had this to say on Twitter.

"In my experience your opponents try to take out one of the strongest - Sorry Winston, you have no idea."

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Mr Peters also revealed internal poling the Government had conducted had National below 40 approval points - although he said the data will not be released publicly. 

He also took the opportunity to highlight Mr Bridges' preferred Prime Minister ratings - in the last 1 NEWS Colmar Brunton poll he was sitting at 12 per cent.

"I mean if you can't get a quarter of your party's so called polling support to think you're the leader, which is Simon Bridges' worst nightmare, then you've got a problem," Mr Peters said.

In that same May 28 poll, National as a party sat at 45 per cent approval.

For the record, Mr Peters was a National Party MP from 1979 to 1993. 

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