Labour MP Greg O'Connor blames poll drop on Govt handling of Sroubek case

Labour MP Greg O'Connor has been given the cold shoulder by Jacinda Ardern after he said Labour's drop in the polls was due to the Government's handling of the Karel Sroubek case. Photo / Supplied

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern is giving Labour MP Greg O'Connor the cold shoulder again after he blamed the party's drop in the polls over its handling of the case of Czech man Karel Sroubek.

It is the second time Ardern has commented on O'Connor after he spoke publicly about the Government's shortcomings, having previously told him off for saying she "could have done better" over her handling of Clare Curran's decision to resign as a minister.

After being told off, O'Connor said he had "got it wrong".

The Government has been on the back foot over Sroubek after Immigration Minister Iain Lees-Galloway initially granted him New Zealand residency, despite Sroubek serving time for smuggling MDMA.

Lees-Galloway changed his mind last week and issued a new deportation liability notice to Sroubek on the basis that he should never have been granted a visa to be in New Zealand in the first place, though Sroubek is appealing the notice.

Labour dropped 2 per cent to 43 per cent in the latest 1 News Colmar Brunton poll, released last night.

Asked whether the fall was because of the Government's handling of the Sroubek case, O'Connor told Newstalk ZB: "I'd say so."

But O'Connor, the MP for Ohariu and former head of the Police Association, defended Ardern's decision not to fire Lees-Galloway, who he said was "competent".

People will have their own judgments on whether the minister made a mistake by initially granting Sroubek residency, O'Connor said.

"Generally you don't fire them for making one mistake. You fire them for making the second mistake and not learning from the first one."

Ardern brushed aside O'Connor's comments, saying: "This won't be the first time I've disagreed with my MP Greg O'Connor."

The latest poll showed that National had rebounded from the Jami-Lee Ross saga to 46 per cent, up three points.

The Greens were down two to 5 per cent, New Zealand First down one to 4 per cent, and Act registered 1 per cent.

Ardern slipped as preferred Prime Minister from 42 per cent to 39 per cent.

National leader Simon Bridges was steady on 7 per cent, while his former leadership rival Judith Collins was up one point to 6 per cent.

Deputy Prime Minister and New Zealand First leader Winston Peters was steady on 4 per cent.

Translated to seats in the House, New Zealand First would be out of Parliament altogether - perhaps a motive for the parties of Government to revisit lowering the threshold to four per cent instead of five per cent.