People aren't focused on the issues: Goff

PHIL GOFF: "I'm the leader of the Labour Party, I'll be taking the Labour Party into the next election."

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Labour Leader Phil Goff is refusing to accept his party's poor popularity saying its bad polling is because people aren't focused on the issues.

He continued to deny rumours he asked his colleagues whether he should stand down as leader.

"I'm the leader of the Labour Party, I'll be taking the Labour Party into the next election. You all know that. It's about time people stop flogging that dead horse and just accept the fact."

He said he did not discuss erroneous rumours when no one was prepared to front up publicly with the accusations.

Asked if he would stand aside after the election he said it was up to him.

"But if I'm Prime Minister I don't think I'll be standing down."

Political polls have had Labour under 30 per cent and National above 50, but Goff said there was still time to win support.

"People aren't focused on the issues at the moment and we need to focus on the electorate, on those issues, once the world cup is behind us and the election campaign is underway."

Despite predictions National could govern alone after November, Goff said this was an MMP election and no one party could win.

Labour had the support of the Greens, who were polling well, and was going out there to win.

He admitted Labour were a "couple of per cent off where we need to be".

"Of course we're the underdog but sometimes it's good to come up from the back of the race to take the lead."

Goff also denied rumours that there was a leak on Labour's front bench.

The suggestion was made by former frontbencher Shane Jones during an interview on TV3's The Nation over the weekend.

Jones suggested the person who leaked should be "made to pay the price".

But, Goff said they all knew the price.

"Everybody in caucus knows that there is a rule of confidentiality. Somebody broke that rule, his name was Chris Carter, and he was expelled immediately."

He had not issued an ultimatum to his caucus not to leak, he said.

Jones said everyone had their own views and Goff ran an open caucus where people could say what they wanted.

But it was a private discussion, he said on the way into today's caucus meeting.

He did not want the election campaign to degenerate into an argument about the party's core principles.

He denied being the leak saying he had not been on the front bench for months.

"There's only one camp I'm in and that's Tamaki Makaurau (the electorate he is standing in).

"Last time I checked there was no David in that camp," he said, referring to the alleged groups supporting David Parker and David Cunliffe for the party leadership.

- © Fairfax NZ News