A political commentator says National Party leader Judith Collins will be under pressure to produce results at today's caucus meeting.
Collins has demoted Simon Bridges after an accusation he made offensive comments to a National MP ,who RNZ understands is Jacqui Dean.
The shock news came in a media release from Collins last night and is after much speculation that Bridges is considering a tilt at the top job.
Bridges is accused of making the remarks at a function several years ago - but Collins says she only just learnt the seriousness of the complaint.
She says she had no option but to immediately demote the Tauranga MP and strip him of his portfolio responsibilities with the unanimous support of the board.
RNZ has approached Jacqui Dean for a response.
Bridges will hold a full media conference later today but told media as he arrived at Parliament this morning that the move by Collins was "desperate".
Commentator Ben Thomas, who was a press secretary in the former National Party government, told Morning Report the pressure was on ahead of caucus meeting at 9am.
"We've got to preface this by saying that all allegations of harassment or intimidation have to be treated seriously. The question is, has Judith Collins treated these allegations seriously, by putting out a press statement using highly loaded terms, which public commentary on what the allegations might involve, don't seem to sustain, in terms of being intimidation or harassment.
"An issue that was we understand dealt with at the time by Bill English, that Simon Bridges apologised for. Simon Bridges in his recent book has written about his sort of struggle to kind of fit in as one of the boys and, where that had sort of led to him doing things, he wasn't comfortable with.
"So, you know, has this allegation about what happened five ago been treated seriously by Judith Collins, or his she very much politicised something? That will be the question that is going to be before the national caucus today."
Thomas said the onus would be on Collins to "come up with the goods" at caucus.
He said the incident brings together multiple issues that have been causing trouble for the party.
"The lack of discipline, which is to say that the government was passing through under extraordinary urgency with almost no consultation very far reaching legislation in Parliament, and now our focus is entirely on the opposition and its leadership again. It brings together the kind of climate of fear that has existed with National, probably since the sort of public falling out with Todd Muller, at caucus, and this has sort of forced the caucuses hand for a resolution."
