KEY POINTS:
A new poll reveals John Key is breathing down Don Brash's neck as National's leader was yesterday forced into a retreat on suppressing a book alleging serious deceptions and "outright lies" at top party levels.
The Herald-DigiPoll survey, showing 17.3 per cent of Aucklanders favour Mr Key as Prime Minister, only 1.5 points behind the 18.8 per cent who chose Dr Brash, follows a day of huge political pressure for the National leader.
Author Nicky Hager revealed he was the person who had written the long-rumoured book about National, using - among other material and information - leaked emails that were the focus of an injunction obtained by Dr Brash last week.
Hager said he had planned to launch the book yesterday, but was prohibited from doing so.
He wanted to give the public the flavour of what it contained to encourage Dr Brash to drop his injunction.
Contrary to Dr Brash's belief, it did not give details about his personal life.
Hager said the book, The Hollow Men: A study in the politics of deception, "shines a light on many deceptive and unethical activities that otherwise would have remained secret, and raises important questions about the future of the National Party."
Matters revealed included the telling of "outright lies" by MPs, staff and officials involved in top-level strategy, which could put political careers - including those of Dr Brash and Mr Key - on the line.
Hager said the emails used were not stolen, but had been given to him by National Party people concerned about the state of the party.
Dr Brash maintained the emails were stolen, and initially indicated yesterday that he had no plans to remove the injunction.
He also denied suggesting he was worried the emails might include personal information.
But on TV One's Close Up programme last night he changed tack.
"I'm keen to see the book exposed to daylight," he said. "I'm not keen to have it under wraps."
But he said he was "also keen to protect the privacy of those people who have written to me by email".
He did not explain how he planned to achieve both goals, but said he would talk to his lawyer today.
Dr Brash said he had not known about Hager's book, but had read media reports that a book of emails was due to be published by Christmas.
Yesterday afternoon Hager told the Herald Dr Brash's lawyer had contacted him and indicated he would be injuncted tomorrow.
Hager said if Dr Brash did not drop the injunction he would fight it.
The book did not contain any emails from constituents of Dr Brash, he said. Rather, it used correspondence between senior party members.
The book includes a foreword from former National MP Marilyn Waring commending the book.
She says: "I would expect to see much of the evidence set out in the book reported to the Electoral Commission, Parliamentary Services, the police and the Auditor-General."
The revelations include claims that Dr Brash, Mr Key and National's then-campaign manager, Steven Joyce, knew the Exclusive Brethren planned to distribute anti-Labour and anti-Green Party pamphlets months before Dr Brash admitted knowing this.
National deputy leader Gerry Brownlee and strategist Murray McCully last year denied knowing about the pamphlet plans until Dr Brash went public.
But Hager said: "It's impossible that they didn't know anything about it, in my opinion."
Dr Brash, Mr Key and the other two MPs all stood their ground yesterday, denying Hager's claims.
Dr Brash repeated his pre-election claim that he did not discover until August that the pamphlets were to be sent out.
Hager also described potential breaches of election and parliamentary spending rules which National had kept hidden.
Dr Brash also denied these claims.
The book makes many other claims, prompting Labour deputy leader Michael Cullen to comment, "This is the death knell of Dr Brash, in my view".
Dr Cullen zeroed in on Mr Key, who he claimed was "deeply involved" in the Exclusive Brethren plans.
"So the trouble for the National Party is that Mr Hager's book may knock out both contenders in one go," he said. "They now have to look beyond Mr Key as the next leader."
The only good news for National yesterday was that it retained its lead over Labour in the Herald-DigiPoll survey of 750 Aucklanders.
The poll, which had a margin of error of 3.6 per cent, showed National with 47.3 per cent support - seven points ahead of Labour.
This is consistent with a smaller national poll of 500 voters in late September which showed National on 45.7 per cent and Labour on 38.
WHAT'S IN THE BOOK
* The political strategies behind Don Brash's Orewa speech on race.
* National's links to American neo-conservatives and their input into the party's election campaign - "kept secret and denied".
* Hidden links with industry lobby groups, which helped to write speeches.
* National's big donors.
* The election advice given by right-wing Australian strategy consultants Crosby/Textor.
* A range of possible breaches of election finance laws and parliamentary spending rules, which National has kept secret.
* Documents showing top party figures knew about the Exclusive Brethren pamphlet drop months before Dr Brash admitted it.
