Little vows to remain as Labour leader after resignation offer

Andrew Little said he met with senior colleagues to discuss whether he should stand down. Photo / Mark Mitchell

Labour leader Andrew Little says he revealed his proposal to stand down because he wanted to be honest and take responsibility for Labour's poor position.

He insisted today that he was not giving up on the election, and would be working twice as hard to get Labour into government.

In a surprise admission yesterday, Little said he met with senior colleagues last week to discuss whether he should stand down.

His caucus colleagues told him to stay on. It came as a new One News Colmar Brunton poll showed Labour at 24 per cent, its lowest-ever result.

Little told Newstalk ZB that he publicly revealed his proposal to the Labour caucus because he wanted "to be honest about it".

Listen here: Andrew Little - I'm in this fight

"It's an inevitable question that comes up. I'm the type of guy who does take responsibility."

He added: "I felt honour bound to raise that as a valid option."

Now that he had his caucus' backing, he said he would "stepping up" his campaign and "spending even more time" on the road over the next two months than initially planned.

"I'm in this fight. And I'm going at it hammer and tongs because there is too much at stake for far too many New Zealanders."

Asked whether 24 per cent was Labour's low point, Little said "it better be". "I'm not planning on an alternative, I'm getting absolutely stuck into the campaign that we've got."

Prime Minister Bill English did not celebrate the new poll, saying that his party could still lose the election despite Little and Labour's woes.

"Even with the Labour Party doing badly, the Greens on their policy problems over welfare, and NZ First promising everything to everybody, they could form a government," he told Newstalk ZB.

"On that poll last night, the Government could lose the election. So we've got a lot of hard work to do over the next two months because we have to get our support up."

He warned National supporters against complacency, repeatedly saying that National needed to lift its vote if it wanted a "strong, stable government" which did not depend on New Zealand First.

English rejected suggestions that NZ First could overtake Labour, saying that Labour remained a "strong brand".