Labour MPs back Goff post-meeting

Labour Party leader Phil Goff emerges from a meeting with his front bench at Otago University in Dunedin today. Photo / NZPA

Labour leader Phil Goff says he was given unanimous support from his front bench after meeting this morning.

The 11 MPs emerged after a four-hour meeting at Otago University in Dunedin and gave Mr Goff their public backing.

The meeting is Labour's first since it emerged that chief whip Darren Hughes was under police investigation after a complaint from an 18-year-old male following a late-night incident. The complaint is believed to be of a sexual nature.

Mr Goff has faced intense scrutiny over his handling of the situation, including questions about his leadership, after it emerged he had known about the complaint for two weeks before it became public.

He said he had given each MP a chance to tell him their views of his handling of the Darren Hughes saga.

He said while opinions could always be mixed, each MP had voiced support for him.

Mr Goff said he believed the controversy had actually strengthened his leadership.

Asked if his leadership had been damaged, he said: "No, I think it's strengthened it.

"We've had a chance to work through these issues. People have seen what my response has been and why that response has been as it is. Not everybody will agree with my response but I think everybody will respect the reasons why I responded the way I did."

He said there were 12 people on the front bench "and I've got at least 15 opinions on most issues".

Standing with his front bench crowded in behind him, he said his MPs had given him their support.

"I have the full and utter support of my front bench colleagues.

He had given everybody a chance to have a say about his handling of Mr Hughes.

"We had a long and constructive discussion about that. The nature of that discussion was [when] a very difficult situation comes up, what are the ways you can best deal with that situation?

"I had a variety of views put forward on that - all of them constructive - and we decided hindsight is an excellent way of dealing with any affair."

He blamed Labour's opponents for seeding rumours to destabilise Labour.

"In fact, they have only made us stronger."

He said his colleagues all believed he had acted in good faith and acknowledged there was no way to avoid media focus on the resignation of the party's senior whip.

"In the end, everybody agreed that the actions I had taken were actions that needed to be taken and that I did it in good faith."

Asked if he would have acted differently in hindsight, he said there were always better ways of dealing with a fast-moving issue, but he had made a decision "that I could sleep with at night".

He was yet to decide who would take Mr Hughes' education portfolio and whip's job. He would consult with other MPs before doing so and caucus would vote on the whip's role.

Mr Goff said MPs had also talked about the sale of state assets and the impact it would have on electricity prices, as well as the Christchurch recovery, which he said the Government was using as an excuse to make changes such as cuts to Working for Families.

Before the meeting, his colleagues were refusing to say what they would be raising with Mr Goff or whether they expected heated discussion.

Asked if he would have dealt with the issue in the same way as Mr Goff if he led the party, David Cunliffe said he was "delighted to say I'm not the leader of the Labour Party" and Mr Goff had his full support.

He said any issues he had would be raised "inside the room, not outside it."

Charles Chauvel said his comments were for his colleagues, not the media. He refused to comment when asked if he agreed with Mr Goff's handling of it.

Asked if he expected heated discussion he said: "We'll just have to see."

Trevor Mallard, Maryan Street and deputy leader Annette King all refused to say what their messages to their leader would be.

David Parker said Mr Goff had his confidence. Asked if he expected questions to be asked about the Hughes issue, Mr Parker said it was going to be a "firestorm" regardless of how it was handled.

He also criticised media for running stories about leadership coup rumours, saying there was never a move against Goff planned and the rumours were seeded by Labour's opponents.

Mr Goff said he expected "informed" discussion. The caucus would discuss other issues including earthquake recovery and the economy.