Kneejerk change of leadership may not be the answer for shellshocked NSW Labor

Party sources say reports Jodi McKay will be asked to stand down come from opponents trying to engineer a leadership change'

A shellshocked New South Wales Labor party is struggling to absorb the implications of the Upper Hunter byelection amid new rumblings over Jodi McKay's leadership and speculation she will soon face a challenge.

However, a transition in the leadership is no longer simple in NSW Labor, once known for its particular brand of hard-arse politics.