Brash's sacking of 'star' riles MPs

Don Brash's decision to strip his top-ranked woman MP of her welfare portfolio has sparked open dissent in National's ranks.

It has been exacerbated by some starkly different versions of how the rift developed before erupting into a disastrous start to the parliamentary year for National yesterday.

Aside from losing her portfolio, fourth-ranked Katherine Rich was also demoted from the frontbench to number 10 in the caucus line-up.

Several National MPs criticised Dr Brash's management of the situation. One MP called it "stupid". Others suggested Mrs Rich had behaved in renegade fashion.

National hoped to begin Parliament buoyed by Dr Brash's Orewa speech and a Herald-DigiPoll fillip which cut Labour's lead to 9.5 points.

But it was instead dominated by the demotion of an MP frequently billed as one of its rising stars.

The fact the same fate befell the party's then Maori Affairs spokeswoman, Georgina te Heuheu, after last year's Orewa speech fuelled criticism from other political parties.

It emerged yesterday that Dr Brash was aware Mrs Rich had problems with parts of his speech.

He endorsed her role on Friday when she said she backed him and the speech, although she refused to say she backed the policies.

By Monday, when she refused to back the policies, it was clear he had underestimated her concerns.

She was particularly opposed to his plan not to give automatic entitlement to extra benefits to mothers on the DPB who have another child and his suggestion they should consider adoption.

Dr Brash said he did not believe the differences between him and Mrs Rich were substantial.

But when asked if she had made it clear to Dr Brash what the consequences would be of including the DPB plan in his speech, Mrs Rich said "I don't think anyone was left in doubt about my position."

When it was pointed out this differed from Dr Brash's account, Mrs Rich, who had sat through his press conference, said: "Yes, I did hear that."

Holding her own conference afterwards, she asked Dr Brash's advisers to leave before she began.

A source close to Mrs Rich said the division was exacerbated when Dr Brash made agreements about the speech with her, then changed the wording.

But a source close to Dr Brash said that was "absolutely not true". Dr Brash had promised to reconsider the DPB policy but had made no promises and ultimately felt it fundamental to his vision.

The source suggested Mrs Rich had effectively hijacked Dr Brash by failing to be clear about the extent of her opposition.

Mrs Rich, who takes on associate finance, health and ACC and relinquishes welfare to first-term Auckland MP Judith Collins, refused to comment on that issue.

She was accompanied by visibly upset Kaikoura MP Lynda Scott, sidelined by Dr Brash after publicly voicing her supporting former leader Bill English when he was rolled.

Outspoken Rakaia MP Brian Connell called Dr Brash's decision "stupid". Some observers suggested Mrs Rich, who supported Dr Brash during the leadership coup, was purposely distancing herself from him because she did not believe he could win the election and had an eye on the next one.

Prime Minister Helen Clark said: "I'm wondering what the next keynote speech is because the person must be quaking in their shoes."

New Zealand First leader Winston Peters said: "Apparently the new dictum in the National Party is that if women members disagree with the leader they are gone by lunchtime. That is what happened to Georgina te Heuheu. Lynda Scott disagreed and she was gone. Now poor Katherine Rich is gone."

Dr Brash denied he was failing to grasp the interests of women and said while there were now no women on National's frontbench he was not going to put one there simply to satisfy political correctness.

Finance spokesman John Key is the winner out of the reshuffle, moving onto the frontbench.