Chris Carter ousted from Labour over leak
MP Chris Carter has been suspended from the Labour Party after confessing his responsibility for an anonymous letter sent to the press gallery this morning.
The letter, sent through parliament’s internal mail system, implied that Labour leader Phil Goff would be challenged before the next election.
In a press conference this afternoon, Mr Goff said Mr Carter's actions were stupid and disloyal and that the letter, “while not true, was designed to damage the party that I lead.”
“Chris Carter has no future in the Labour Party that I lead”, he said. “There are no more chances”.
Mr Carter was disciplined by Mr Goff earlier this year after a credit-card spending scandal.
The unanimous decision to suspend Mr Carter from caucus was made after an emergency Labour caucus meeting called shortly before the press conference.
Mr Goff expected elections in Mr Carter’s electorate of Te Atatu to be re-opened.
Details of the leak
The leaked letter was delivered to selected press gallery offices this morning in what appeared to be an old airmail envelope with Office of Minister of Finance printed on it, but no stamp.
“Just a heads up on two issues you might find quite interesting in the Labour caucus”, it began.
The letter claimed that union-based MPs would challenge Mr Goff next Tuesday over his stance on a government plan to allow workers to cash in their fourth week of holiday.
Mr Goff has indicated that he does not consider the proposal as a priority issue.
''The issue has brought to a head the growing discontent in the caucus with both Goff's leadership and his poor polling," the letter said.
It suggested that Labour finance spokesman David Cunliffe would make a leadership move before the election.
The letter also claimed that Manurewa MP George Hawkins would be challenged by a member of ''the Engineers Union'' with nominations due to close on September 1.
Confrontation
Mr Goff, back from Auckland this afternoon, confronted Mr Carter after recognising his handwriting on the letter envelope. Mr Carter was also apparently seen in the messenger’s room in parliament this morning.
After Mr Carter confessed, Mr Goff advised him that he would move to suspend him from caucus.- a move supported by caucus later that day.
On a Labour Party blog, minutes after Mr Goff's press conference, fellow MP Trevor Mallard wrote "our team decision was unanimous ... He [Carter] did something incredibly stupid".
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Comments and questions16
Certainly Carter at his best,seems he has rocked some socks or is it jocks.
Chris Carter has done us a further service by:
a) Showing the level our politicians work on; that is, spoilt cry-babies.
b) Showing us just how stupid these power lusters are. I mean really, he hand wrote an anonymous letter. ROTFL. He didn't have a word processor? Or have ever watched those movies where the psychopaths cut out all the letters from a range of publications?
And a man as dumb as this has been involved in making laws that affect the way I live my life for how many years?
I demand my freedom from these buffoons please.
Here endeth the longest hissy fit in New Zealand political history.
Carter was a malignant tumour that needed excision. He's a vile piece of work. Fate, finally caught up with him.
Didn't Buffoon get his freedom from a Japanese jail recently?
chris just sit back and enjoy your taxpayer funded lifestyle,you 17 year bludger hey take your boyfriend on an all expenses holiday or is that so 2009 dont you guys preach anti bullying messages through out schools remember chris to laugh at yourself otherwise you might miss the joke of the century
Seems appropiate that that guy with the double C in his name should present a sneaky letter,his track record shows he is an expert slipping in the back door.
And sadly we will again pay his salary AND his claimed expences next week.
More fool us.
He has lost the plot. The really disgusting this is that he will probably not depart parliment and will continue to draw a salary at our expense and use whatever privileges he and his boyfriend can until the next election.
Lets hope the media give him the air time and press coverage he deserves.
zip nada zero nil none nothing
fair enough to make coment about his stupid behaviour,. but do not atribute that to him being gay,. the coment "slipping in the back door" is pathetic and imature., grow up.
Don't bag the guy - opinon polls show Goff isn't going to cut it, plain and simple .... Cunnliffe waits in the wings quiet, but with enough exposure to let you know he's there. While maybe not the the best approach from CC there's a lot of substance in what he's saying.
His methods may be questionable, but as Labour voters both my husband and I didn't vote Labour in the last election as we had and still don't have any confidence in Phil Goff's ability to affectively lead anything. He comes across as a mamby pamby sort of man who inspires absolutely nothing! So Chris Carter is probably right and until the Labour Caucus removes Phil Goff as its leader they will not ever gain leadership of our country again
Ring Auntie Helen!
Ring, Ring, Ring, "Hello, Aunty Helen speaking from New York.
Is that you Philly, "Yes Aunty". What do you want Phil?
I was wondering Aunty Helen if you could come back and give some coaching lessons to the team. We seem to have drifted off track. Have you still got your former PM's credit card? Just charge your airfares to that and I will ask Johnny if you can stay with him in Premier House.
"All is forgiven please come back I am starting to feel the cold steel up my back"
All you gay haters out there forget he will still have his snout in the trough until the next erection...whoops, election as the MP for Te Atatu....He will still be funded by all taxpayers in NZ ! Just you wait until you see the next candidate from Rainbow Labour to take over from Brother Chris. We have a gay, ability-challenged, person of colour, current union organiser ready to step up to the trough and take over !!!! Keep working and paying your taxes.....
May this long continue for Labour, I haven't heard Phil say I'm the guy to take on John Key (or DonKey as one labour minister put it so eloquently back in their hey day). If this were a National Vs. Labour leader horse race I know which is the Donkey and I think he does too….
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