Question time preview: Deputy PM to handle ponytail-gate questions while PM in Saudi Arabia

Deputy prime minister Bill English. Photo / Andrew Bonallack

Deputy Prime Minister Bill English will be left to deal with the fallout from the Prime Minister's ponytail pulling in Parliament this week but Labour says that does not mean John Key will be spared.

Mr Key is overseas in Saudi Arabia this week, which is the first week Parliament is sitting since before Easter.

As acting Prime Minister, Mr English will have to answer questions in Parliament on Mr Key's behalf and at least two are set to cover his actions in pulling the ponytail of a waitress at his local café in Parnell.

Labour's acting leader Annette King is set to confront Mr English with Mr Key's own words warning against arrogance in a third term Government and said she wanted to know whether Mr Key believed he had lived up to the high standards he claimed to have set for his government.

"He now has to continue to discipline his own caucus. What moral authority does he now have?"

On the way into caucus this morning, Education Minister Hekia Parata said the Prime Minister had made it clear he was wrong and had apologised. Women's Affairs Minister Louise Upston said she had already made a comment on it and Mr Key had apologised "so I think that's the end of the matter."

Ms King said Ms Upston's response was "appalling." "All she did was to back up the Prime Minister's comments that he didn't really mean to hurt [the waitress'] feelings."

She said it would be outrageous if Mr English or Mr Key tried to dodge questions by claiming he was not acting in his capacity as Prime Minister.

In Parliament, ministers can only be questioned about areas they have ministerial responsibility for and Mr Key has previously avoided answering questions about his interactions with blogger Cameron Slater by saying it was not in his capacity as Prime Minister.

Ms King said Mr Key was "always the Prime Minister."

"He was there as Prime Minister, he is always the Prime Minister. He was there with Diplomatic Protection Squad members. If he is a private citizen, he doesn't need them there does he? He was there as Prime Minister and he will need to answer questions back home in New Zealand eventually."