Ardern says Labour is stable as Greens prepare to suspend MPs

Jacinda Ardern speaks out about Labour's ties to the Green Party.

Posted by nzherald.co.nz on Monday, 7 August 2017

Labour Party leader Jacinda Ardern says voters concerned about stability should look to her party.

"I offer stability, I offer firm, reasonable leadership that is focused on delivering a vision for New Zealand that I think is much, much better than where we are now. If they are looking for stability, they will find it with me," Ardern told Radio New Zealand.

Ardern said Labour remained committed to the memorandum of understanding with the Green Party, but stressed the two parties were separate.

Ardern's comments follow the Greens' announcement it intends to formally suspend senior MPs Kennedy Graham and David Clendon from caucus after they threatened to quit if co-leader Metiria Turei did not stand down from the leadership over her revelations she had committed welfare fraud.

"I would really push back on this idea that somehow this means we aren't in a position to change the direction of New Zealand and the current government," Ardern said this morning.

"When you look around at all of the political parties at the moment, each of us has carried our own issues in the last week. National I don't think would be comfortable answering questions about Todd Barclay; we weren't in a great space a week ago," Ardern told Radio New Zealand.

"This does happen to political parties from time to time. Not even the Greens would say this is a great place to be in right now. Six weeks is a long time in politics."

New Zealand First leader Winston Peters said the campaign was a "right royal circus at the moment", but it would settle.

Asked by the Herald if events made NZ First seem a sea of tranquility, Peters said his party had long been stable: "A sea of consistency, holding positions we have held for a long, long time."

He said he was focussed on his own party, and hit out at the media attention Ardern had received, labelling her the "darling of the media".

Act leader David Seymour said Turei needed to resign, and joked he was looking for skeletons in his own closet to get some media attention.

"James Shaw has been made to look as weak as a Green Party herbal tea."

He added there were rumours Turei's daughter didn't live with her during some of her time on the benefit, claims which have been absolutely denied by Turei.