“The ACT Party predicts that Trevor Mallard will vacate the Speaker’s chair so he can be awarded the Knighthood he wouldn’t get from the next Government,” says ACT Leader David Seymour.

“Mallard knew he was a dead duck waddling. He took the Office of the Speaker to have the worst approval rating of any politician in modern history.

“He’s only hanging up his Speaker’s cape now because he’s finally seen the writing on the wall that the Government will change at the next election and he knows the next Government won’t make him Sir Trevor. Let’s face it, it would hardly sit well beside Smith or Carter, let alone Hillary, Rutherford or Ngata, would it?

“Labour will have done a deal with him – if you leave now and stop causing us trouble we’ll give you the gong. Heaven forbid he is also being foisted on some other country hoping for a diplomat just wistfully as our Parliament hoped for a dignified Speaker.

“Mallards’ successor will have their work cut out for them restoring the dignity of the office after Mallard’s Trumpian trail of distraction, getting sued, inflaming the parliamentary protest and abusing power.

“ACT says the Prime Minister and her colleagues should show leadership and integrity and today rule out that we will ever see the day Trevor Mallard is knighted.”

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