Mike Williams. Photo / Glenn Jeffrey

Mike Williams. Photo / Glenn Jeffrey

The Prime Minister has attributed Mike Williams' contradictory comments on using Government pamphlets for electioneering to "confusion".

Helen Clark has reprimanded the Labour Party president for the second time in a week after he denied he had endorsed the use of Government department pamphlets for campaigning as "a damn good idea".

Mr Williams made the comment at the party's conference last weekend in response to a suggestion from a delegate to use IRD's KiwiSaver and Working for Families booklets for campaigning.

Despite Helen Clark publicly acknowledging the incident had happened, Mr Williams denied it on TVNZ's Agenda yesterday, saying he did not believe it happened and describing it as "an incredible media beat-up, it arguably never happened".

But One News last night played a recording from the conference which showed Mr Williams had made the comment - contradicting his explanation to Agenda.

Helen Clark today told Breakfast on TV One that Mr Williams had told her the truth about making the remark a week ago.

"He told me the truth and that's why when the tape was run on TV last night I knew that was what I had been told 6-1/2 days before, so really what possessed him on Agenda I do not know, I can only put it down to confusion," she said.

The initial comment was a "misjudgment" which was "only compounded by what was said yesterday".

She said Mr Williams had had a clear reprimand and she suggested he keep his head down: "I think it's time for a deep period of silence and concentrating on his core business and just leave the politics to the politicians."

National Party deputy leader Bill English said Mr Williams should resign or be sacked.

"Mike Williams has been caught red-handed saying one thing behind closed doors and another thing to the public," he said in a statement.

"He must go because the public cannot now trust him to keep Labour's fingers out of the till in election year."

"The Labour president has misled the public again in a bid to hide Labour's plans to break the law. Mr Williams can't be relied on to tell the public the truth, yet Helen Clark is defending him. This is an indictment on her judgment."