Peters asks if English interfered
NZ First leader Winston Peters says Prime Minister Bill English was deeply involved in the Barclay matter, talking to the the allegedly taped staff member ‘‘late at night and early in the morning’’.
Peters made the accusation during question time on the day Todd Barclay returned to Parliament after a period of absence since the announcement that he would stand down.
The Clutha-Southland MP is accused of illegally taping his staff member Glenys Dickson, who used to work for English when he was the electorate MP.
Police interviewed English about the matter.
He told them he had been in contact with Barclay concerning the dispute.
Peters asked English to release his phone records regarding the alleged communications with Dickson to prove that he hadn’t interfered with the dispute.
‘‘If he was only peripherally involved, why was he in such frequent communi- cation with Glenys Dickson, late at night and early in the morning?’’ Peters asked.
English refused to answer the question as he said it had nothing to do with his ministerial responsibilities.
Later, Labour MP Chris Hipkins suggested Barclay might have taped Dickson’s conversations with English.
Barclay arrived for his first day back at Parliament very early and with a smile on his face.
Questions have been growing about Barclay’s whereabouts after barely being seen for the three weeks since he announced he would resign at the election after allegations he secretly recorded a staff member in his electorate office.
Yesterday, Barclay walked into Parliament shortly after 7am through the front doors on his own and wished a cheery ‘‘good morning’’ to the camera filming his arrival.
As he arrived at caucus he refused to speak to media.
English confirmed on Monday that Barclay would return to Parliament yesterday but wouldn’t comment on whether he would be there for the entire four-week sitting period and what, if any, select committee meetings he would attend.
The National Party backbencher is deputy chairperson of both the education and science and primary production select committees.
Barclay resurfaced for the first time yesterday when he posted on his Facebook page that he was still working on constituent issues, along with a photo of him holding what appeared to be a child’s letter of support.
What exactly Barclay has been doing in his electorate has been in the spotlight as he continues to sit on a $170,000 parliamentary salary until the election in September.
Last week, the Independent Police Conduct Authority said it would not pursue a complaint that alleged there was misconduct or neglect by police in handling the investigation into his alleged secret recording of an electorate staffer.
After initially not investigating the incident, police announced in June they would reopen the investigation.