OPINION: The latest poll for Judith Collins might be the catalyst for MPs to dump her as the National Party leader.
She's in a world of woe.
The latest Roy Morgan poll has National down 6 percent to 23. That's lower than 2020 election night and close to Bill English's 2002 disaster of 20.93 percent. Labour is up slightly to 45.5 percent.
Collins should be making mincemeat of Labour and their clumsy attempts to reign in house prices, not to mention the bright-line or capital gains tax they've effectively stretched out to 10 years.
Add in their failure to build houses and make inroads into child poverty - no wonder they pray day and night for COVID-19 to continue. Well, they don't actually - but what a distraction and it's worked for Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern.
Collins is a dead woman walking. Roy Morgan's poll will see the caucus chatter go into overdrive
Already former ACT party leader Richard Prebble has said Collins should go, as she can't win.
And the "dump the leader" narrative has taken hold. It was symbolic her MPs didn't support her stance on fluoride, although she denies that even happened.
I think the winner will be first-time MP and former Air New Zealand boss Chris Luxon. He's kept his head down but is content with the leadership talk.
Luxon has apparently teamed up with former leader Simon Bridges, who may well be his deputy and finance spokesperson - a job he wants.
Is Bridges keen? You bet - he has little love for Collins, and as he walked from The AM Show studio recently he said to me: "I'll give her as much support as she gave me as the leader."
Duncan Garner hosts The AM Show.
