National leader John Key's 'cup of tea' meeting with Act candidate John Banks may have been in vain according to the results of a ONE News Colmar Brunton poll.
The now infamous meeting was supposed to boost support for Banks in the Epsom electorate, sending a signal to National supporters that they should vote for Banks so Act could return to Parliament as National's coalition partner.
However, a poll of 517 Epsom voters has National's own candidate Paul Goldsmith out in front with 41%, while Banks has 30% support.
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Labour's David Parker has 17% and David Hay from the Green Party, 11%.
Goldsmith told ONE News he was not fazed by the poll.
"I'm very keen to be an MP," he said, "I'm relaxed as to whether that's as the list MP or as the electorate MP."
Key said he accepted whatever decision the voters made on the day. He said he had no interest in another cup of tea meeting with Banks.
"It's up to Epsom voters to decide whether they want to vote strategically or not," he said.
"If they do that's not something that we would object to in the slightest but if they don't it is entirely up to them as well."
The deal between National and Act is also unpopular elsewhere in the country.
A nationwide poll of 1,0006 eligible voters asked whether people agree with National asking its supporters to give their electorate vote to John Banks.
Only 29% supported the deal and 55% opposed it, with the remainder undecided.
The poll results above have a margin of error of 4.4%. The interviewing of 517 eligible voters in Epsom took place from November 14 to 17.
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