Barclay Fiasco Exposes National’s Low Standards

The people of Clutha-Southland now know their National MPs play fast and loose with the truth, says New Zealand First Leader and Northland Member of Parliament Rt Hon Winston Peters.

“Their current MP got out of a sticky situation thanks to hush money coming from the Prime Minister’s budget, all sorted by the former MP for the electorate, none other than the Prime Minister Bill English.

“The fact that Todd Barclay is still hanging onto his seat is a sad indictment of what low level of behaviour the National Party condones from its MPs. Even worse the Prime Minister, when Deputy was prepared to be a cover-up merchant. Even now the PM is refusing to sack the offending backbencher.

“Mr Barclay repeatedly denied allegations that he made secret recordings of a staff member and only after much duress was applied did he own up.

“Secret recordings by a MP of a staff member are unacceptable; lying about them is doubly bad.

“Prime Minister Bill English’s brain fade of this fiasco and then his sudden surge of recall will be considered unacceptable by many New Zealanders.

“They will consider also taxpayer money, some of it from the prime minister’s budget, being used to extract Mr Barclay from the mess of his own creating as being squandered and wasted.

“If the National Party set standards the public of New Zealand expects from MPs, Mr Barclay would have been shown the door and sacked and the Prime Minister would be held accountable over this appalling episode.

“The people of Clutha-Southland have been lumbered with Mr Barclay for another three months at least and New Zealand has a Prime Minister who was prepared to indulge in a cover up.

“They have New Zealand First’s sympathy,” says Mr Peters.
ENDS

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