PM fuels rumours of Cullen leaving portfolio

Michael Cullen

Prime Minister Helen Clark has reinforced speculation that Deputy Prime Minister Michael Cullen may step down as Finance Minister.

Asked in an interview in this week's Listener whether Michael Cullen would continue to deliver the Budgets for the rest of this term, Helen Clark replied: "I don't know."

She then went on to say: "He is certainly delivering this one and I expect he will deliver the one after that. It very much depends on where he wants to take his life. He may very well deliver the 2008 Budget."

When asked whether Dr Cullen had spoken to her about the possibility of retiring from politics, Helen Clark replied: "Um, well, he won't stay forever. Forever doesn't rule running the whole three years in the job."

Dr Cullen could not be reached for comment yesterday.

Two months ago when Act leader Rodney Hide raised speculation that Dr Cullen would not see out this term as Finance Minister and would retire at the next election, Dr Cullen's office said he was expected to be Finance Minister for a long time yet.

Dr Cullen is regarded as Labour's workhorse. In addition to being Deputy Prime and Finance Minister, he is Leader of the House and Tertiary Education Minister.

In the last two weeks his workload has increased further after he took over the role of Attorney-General after David Parker resigned.

There have also been predictions that Dr Cullen will become Speaker of the House. He is without peer in Parliament in terms of sharpness in the debating chamber and a key player in needling National's leadership.

He came in for criticism last year for failing to dampen pre-Budget speculation on tax relief which amounted to little more than a few dollars a week in 2008.

The 61-year-old former history lecturer has been in Parliament since 1981 and entered Cabinet as Social Welfare Minister in 1987.