National leader Simon Bridges coming to Hawke's Bay for A&P Show on Thursday

National leader Simon Bridges in Napier earlier this year. Photo / File

Embroiled in controversy yesterday, National Party leader Simon Bridges will still being coming to Hawke's Bay - with the full political backing of local MP Lawrence Yule.

The National leader was yesterday battling media scrums, political hand-grenades and accusations of corruption from disgraced former National MP Jami-Lee Ross. However, the Tukituki MP, National's Lawrence Yule, said Bridges had confirmed that would not put him off Thursday's planned visit to Hawke's Bay.

Speaking to Hawke's Bay Today, Yule said Bridges "absolutely" had his full backing.

"We had a caucus meeting today and a unanimous decision that Jami-Lee Ross should be expelled and unanimous support for our leader - and that's a position I'm very comfortable with."

Bridges is scheduled to appear at the Hawke's Bay A and P Show, where he will be launching National's Have Your Say listening campaign for Rural New Zealand – as part of National's 2020 election policy development process.

He will also meet pupils from St John's College in Hastings, who are taking part in the Youth Enterprise Scheme.

As part of that visit, he will visit the Year 10 business class to test a new product created by a company created by five of the class's pupils, a men's body spray called Deliverance.