Labour to get rid of ageing MPs

Jim Sutton

The Labour Government will try to get rid of a swag of ageing list MPs during the next three years to rejuvenate itself before the next election. It is already using diplomatic posts as inducements.

It has also set up a gang of senior ministers - Finance Minister Michael Cullen, Trevor Mallard and Phil Goff - to take a razor to Government expenditure as it tries to meet the price of concessions to its support parties in a slowing economy.

Announcing Cabinet allocations yesterday, Prime Minister Helen Clark said she was looking for "exits with dignity" for long-serving MPs. (See link at bottom of page for full Cabinet list.)

That would be easily possible for former constituency MPs who lost their seats at the election but returned on Labour's list. They can be replaced from the list without a byelection.

Helen Clark has already put the squeeze on Trade Minister Jim Sutton. He will quit the Cabinet at the end of the year but has been offered various diplomatic sweeteners.

He rejected an offer to replace former Labour MP Graham Kelly in Ottawa next year and also rejected suggestions he take one of the plum posts in Washington or Canberra.

It is also known that list MP Dover Samuels turned down the offer of a job as the next High Commissioner to Niue, which becomes vacant next year when former Alliance minister Sandra Lee returns.

Such offers leave the MPs in no doubt their departure would be appreciated.

The offers are thought to have been made before New Zealand First leader Winston Peters became Foreign Minister and he may block them. His policy going into the election was to oppose political appointments to diplomatic posts.

Neither he nor Helen Clark would comment last night.

Other Labour MPs aged over 60 who may be prodded out are former Napier MP Russell Fairbrother, former Hamilton East MP Dianne Yates and possibly former Northcote MP Ann Hartley.

The next five people on the Labour list are Charles Chauvel, Lesley Soper, Louisa Wall, Su'a William Sio, and Brendon Burns.

The Cabinet reshuffle was the largest Helen Clark has undertaken in six years. All Cabinet ministers except herself had major additions or subtractions to their roles.

Mr Goff, who has given up Foreign Affairs, will still keep a strong hand in the international arena with a new bundle of portfolios: Defence, Trade, Disarmament and Arms Control and his former Pacific Island Affairs.

Helen Clark, when asked if Mr Goff might act as a backstop to Mr Peters in Foreign Affairs, called it "complementary" to him.

Mr Goff has also been made an Associate Finance Minister and joins the razor gang who will try to cut Government expenditure as the economy slows.

Dr Cullen said on National Radio yesterday that as well as the review of state spending, the Government might have to "slow down" other projects it was planning.

Dr Cullen is expected to stand down later in the term and Mr Mallard, another Associate Finance Minister, is considered his heir apparent in Finance.