Clark drops hint amid vote rumour

By JOHN ARMSTRONG political editor

The Prime Minister has dropped the biggest hint yet that she is toying with the possibility of calling an early election.

Helen Clark accidentally let slip her thinking yesterday during her weekly post-Cabinet press conference.

Asked whether the Government hoped to appoint a new Governor of the Reserve Bank before the election, she replied: "Depends on when the election is."

She quickly covered her tracks by saying that the Government was getting on with "a number of things", including next week's Budget, her trip to Australia this month and passing a range of legislation.

"Don't hold your breath."

There has been speculation for some weeks that Labour would like to go to the polls early - possibly in August - to take advantage of high poll ratings and using the meltdown in the Alliance as a reason to seek a fresh mandate.

On a three-year electoral cycle, polling day would normally fall between late October and late November.

Alliance leader Laila Harre yesterday said she had no intention of provoking an early election by challenging Jim Anderton's claim to lead the Alliance in Parliament. She would not be writing to Speaker Jonathan Hunt and informing him that Mr Anderton and his supporters had been expelled from the party.

Such a step would destabilise the Coalition Government and possibly trigger an early election.

National leader Bill English said the instability of the Alliance parties was no reason to call an early election.

"Whatever happens with the Alliance, its members will be voting with Labour in Parliament anyway.

"Embarrassment is no cause for an early election.

"Helen Clark chose Jim Anderton as Deputy Prime Minister and she drove through the Electoral Integrity Act.

"She put Laila Harre in her Cabinet, so all the problems she has now are of her own making."

Mr English said that even if Laila Harre did write to the Speaker to advise him of the split within the Alliance and subsequent party-hopping, it was not clear whether the Speaker would recognise her.