National leader Simon Bridges has received public backing from his deputy this morning, after rumours his leadership was on shaky ground following a controversial Facebook post.
Bridges has been forced to defend himself after facing a flurry of online fury over the post about the Government's decision to extend the level 4 lockdown.
The Facebook post has attracted more than 16,000 reactions – many of them negative - and the Opposition leader has been facing speculation from some in the media that his job might be on the line.
National's deputy leader Paula Bennett denied reports on Wednesday that she might be lining up with Mark Mitchell to take over the leadership.
"I get people are bored & looking for entertainment but false speculating on the leadership of the Nat party has no factual basis," wrote Bennett on Twitter. "Can't believe a tweet from a known stirring leftie is getting any pick up! Move on, we back Simon. We have a health crises & an economy to fix."