“Labour MP for Northcote Shannon Halbert needs to explain why a member of the public received a call from his office asking them to delay their COVID-19 vaccinations so they could have it on Super Saturday,” says ACT Leader David Seymour.

“I had a call from a member of the public saying she had received a call from someone in his office. They asked her whether she was booked to have a vaccination and if she would consider delaying it until Saturday.

“Halbert needs to explain why this call was made. Was he trying to boost the stats that day to make the numbers look good or was he trying to organise a photo shoot as more Government spin?

“This is irresponsible behaviour from someone who is meant to be a community leader. Having crowded spaces won’t help with the COVID outbreak in Auckland. We should be encouraging everyone to get vaccinated as soon as possible – not waiting until a date that makes Jacinda Ardern look good.

“The Prime Minister needs to take some leadership here and reprimand Halbert for this behaviour. She needs to explain whether other Labour MPs have made the same calls. If she doesn’t, then she’s complicit in using her MPs as part of her spin machine.”

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