Brownlee happy for Brash to stay leader

Embattled National Party leader Don Brash received a declaration of confidence from deputy leader Gerry Brownlee yesterday who said the National caucus would be "very happy" for Dr Brash to continue leading the party.

Dr Brash is scheduled to attend the opening of Fashion Week in Auckland tonight with his wife, Je Lan, in their first public appearance together since reports of his alleged affair surfaced last week.

Mr Brownlee said: "I have confidence in Don Brash. I don't believe the issues raised in the last couple of days call his leadership into question."

He was responding to a Sunday newspaper report that he had refused to confirm his loyalty in the wake of allegations of the party leader's affair with Auckland businesswoman Diane Foreman.

"I am deputy to Don Brash and, by virtue of that, I express confidence in him and I don't need to say any more than that."

Asked if the leadership issue would be discussed at next week's caucus meeting, Mr Brownlee said: "I think Dr Brash will be assessing the level of support that has been freely offered to him by caucus over the last number of days and conclude that if he is of a mind to continue, which he is, then we are happy with that."

Dr Brash said at the weekend he did not believe the leadership would be raised at the caucus.

But he added: "I think there are always people in every caucus who wonder whether there might be some benefit in having a change. I think that is just the nature of politics. I am comfortable with that."

Dr Brash will visit Palmerston North today and Hawkes Bay tomorrow as he pursues a business-as-usual approach during a three-week parliamentary recess. Among his appointments will be a visit to Palmerston North Boys High School.

He also said he was not worried by rumours of more revelations. Asked why, he said: "Because I haven't got anything else to hide."

Then as if realising the implications of those comments, he added he would not be discussing his personal life at all.

To suggestions by Prime Minister Helen Clark that he would have difficulty returning to Parliament and raising questions of integrity, he said: "Watch me, watch me."

He also blamed Labour for the matter ending up in the public arena, citing interjections by Trevor Mallard and David Benson-Pope and the reference of Helen Clark to the imminent publication of emails.

However, Dr Brash did not believe there was anything in his emails that would cause him personal embarrassment but described those who stole them as "the lowest form of scum".

"Stealing other people's private correspondence is in my view a despicable thing to do, not just because it is awkward for me but quite frankly lots of people send me comments and advice and I think they are entitled to their privacy," he said.

He believed anybody who used his emails for political ends was "despicable too".

"I think it's disgusting and that's why I have gone to the police."

New Zealand First leader Winston Peters refused to talk about the emails last night, having previously boasted of having "a telephone book" of them.

But through a spokesman, he said that if there was any insinuation that emails on MPs' personal lives had come from him "then you'd be lying".