Nat MP backs Brash - up to a point

National welfare spokeswoman Katherine Rich has again refused to confirm her support for the tough welfare policies party leader Don Brash outlined in his Orewa speech this week.

At the end of a two-day caucus retreat at Parliament and after mounting questions about whether she backed Dr Brash's tough policies, Mrs Rich said she both supported Tuesday's speech and Dr Brash as leader.

But asked specifically if she supported all the polices in the speech Mrs Rich replied: "I'm not going to get into a forensic analysis of every single word in a speech."

But she said she was happy in the welfare portfolio and had been "fully consulted" throughout the speech's drafting.

On Thursday in an interview with the Herald she refused four times to endorse the policies in Dr Brash's speech - which targeted those on the DPB and suggested adoption should be an acceptable option, particularly for teenage girls.

Dr Brash said after the caucus that Mrs Rich had his "complete confidence" to remain in the welfare portfolio.

He felt he had consulted her enough about the speech, adding that a lot of it was based on her 2003 discussion paper on welfare and her speech to last year's annual conference.

However, the affair will give the Government ammunition to throw at National when Parliament resumes next week and raises doubts over Mrs Rich's future in the portfolio.

Mrs Rich said yesterday that the speech would "set the scene for the welfare debate in the coming year".

Social Development and Employment Minister Steve Maharey retorted that Dr Brash wasn't "floating ideas" for public debate but laying out policies.