This morning Labour finance spokesman David Cunliffe got the ball rolling calling for Finance Minister Bill English's head over a spike in the cost of the Retail Deposit Guarantee Scheme because of South Canterbury Finance's collapse. He said the Government could have accepted one of the bids for the company or put it into statutory management.
The Government said there were no credible offers and those alternatives would have left the Government even further out of pocket.
Later in the morning, Mr Goff was asked if he supported Mr Cunliffe's bold call. He avoided directly backing the call for a resignation over SCF but instead said the whole Government should go over its economic management.
This afternoon he stood by that extreme request.
"I am saying on the record of the Government economically it should resign. But I have no doubt that the Government will go through to November the 26th, the date that has already been set...
"You know what I was saying. I was saying that the Government has not succeeded economically, the minister of finance has failed and so has this government."
Asked if support parties should quit too, he said he couldn't see what the Maori Party got out of its arrangement.
"It's hard to see that the Maori Party has much to support in what's being delivered to ordinary Maori electors."
And on ACT: "The ACT Party barely exists now so they are not going to resign anytime soon."
Prime Minister John Key was asked about the mass resignations calls in Parliament. He used it as an opportunity to have a dig at questions over Mr Goff's leadership.
"Tempting is what I think of his offer. Clearly there's a game of oneupmanship going on over there as they sort out who the real leader will be."
Mr Key earlier joked to reporters that Mr Goff appeared to be trying to call a snap election but he had already set the November date.
"So the entire Government should resign for a scam set up by the Labour Party? No wonder they've got problems round there."
Maori Party co-leader Pita Sharples was dismissive.
"I don't really take him (Mr Goff) seriously at this stage on a lot of points that he's made recently."
ACT leader Rodney Hide said the call was desperate.
"I think Phil's only hope is for the entire Government to resign. It's not going to happen."
Cabinet Minister Gerry Brownlee said the comment was "just part of the game. Leadership challenge, you know that".
