Is Peter Dunne, done?
Former Labour Party president Mike Williams thinks the long-time MP's career could be over, following Tuesday's announcement of an alliance between Labour and the Greens.
If the two parties decide not to run candidates against each other at next year's election, Mr Williams says it spells doom for Mr Dunne.
"Peter Dunne holds Ohariu by 710 votes, but the Green candidate got 2764, so if they pull out a candidate there, I think Peter Dunne is gone."
A furious Mr Dunne told Newshub such speculation is "silly nonsense".
"We're still 18 months out from the election. I'm not even going to dignify that with a response, and you can quote me saying that."
He later downplayed his response, saying he was merely "scoffing at a ridiculously story".
Labour and the Greens haven't yet decided whether they'll make a pact not to run candidates against each other in next year's election.
If they did, it would be a step further than the arrangement National and ACT have run in Epsom -- National has always run a candidate, but encouraged supporters to give their candidate vote to ACT.
Labour and the Greens have never explicitly had such an arrangement, with Mr Dunne the prime beneficiary -- he would have lost the past three elections if votes that went to the Green candidate instead went to Labour.
Mr Dunne entered Parliament in 1984 as a Labour MP. He quit the party in 1994, setting up the part that would eventually become United Future. He has supported the John Key-led Government at the past three elections.
Newshub.
