Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern with, from left, James Shaw, Damien O'Connor and Kieran McAnulty, October 11. Photo / Mark Mitchell
If the Government started this week with a headache, it's now got a crippling migraine.
It already knew it had a popularity problem. It also knew local body election results would make
enacting some of its key reforms much more difficult.
Now – off the back of a disappointing inflation result – it's facing rising disquiet over the cost of living.
As if that wasn't enough for one Tuesday, Labour problem child Gaurav Sharma quit, forcing a byelection in Hamilton West that, as Audrey Young pointed out, is likely to be a bloodbath for the party.
Meanwhile, on the periphery, NZ First leader Winston Peters is attempting a very on-brand relaunch just in time for election year.
In short, there's a lot going on in the world of politics. We asked Claire to drop by for a chat about all of it with Premium subscribers this morning.
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