New Zealand First party president George Groombridge knows nothing of any plans for Michael Laws to stand for the party, and says he would know if such plans were afoot.Mr Laws, Wanganui Mayor and a radio host, would today not rule out speculation he was
New Zealand First party president George Groombridge knows nothing of any plans for Michael Laws to stand for the party, and says he would know if such plans were afoot.
Mr Laws, Wanganui Mayor and a radio host, would today not rule out speculation he was set to return to Parliament but was cagey, simply saying he never commented on rumours.
Party leader Winston Peters has not commented either.
Mr Groombridge told NZPA he was confident he would be kept in the loop.
"I am in charge of the governance of the party... things are going along very, very smoothly and I would have heard if anything like that had happened because I am in constant touch with our leader.
"That's a definite no."
Mr Laws, who intends to stand down as mayor this year, did not want to comment.
"I am not interested in talking. I don't comment on rumours and speculation."
Even to rule it out?
"I never comment on rumours, never have, never will."
Mr Laws is a former National and NZ First MP who resigned from Parliament in tears in 1996 over a Napier City Council poll he had organised.
The poll was signed off by a fictitious Antoinette Beck, who turned out to be Mr Laws' parliamentary secretary, Louise Sampson.
New Zealand First failed to win a seat in Parliament at the 2008 election.
