National MP Todd Barclay has disgraced himself as an MP and should resign, Labour Party leader Andrew Little says.
Left to right: Bill English, Todd Barclay, Andrew Little Photo: RNZ
The Clutha-Southland MP denied making recordings of staff in his electorate office or speaking to Prime Minister Bill English about it, only to apologise later in the day for making misleading statements.
Despite the apology, Mr Barclay has shown no intention of resigning.
Pressure is also mounting on Mr English over his handling of the controversy.
Mr Little told Morning Report it was clear Mr Barclay had lost the trust and confidence of the people who elected him to Parliament.
"This could not be more serious. This is an absolute disgrace, it's an absolute shambles.
"This could not be worse for people in government, a prime minister and a backbench MP."
Mr Barclay told reporters yesterday he should have handled the situation better. "I have read Mr English's statement to the police and accept it," he said.
Mr English is also under scrutiny for downplaying the affair over many months and again yesterday morning, saying he couldn't recall who told him about the matter, despite having made a statement to police.
The prime minister yesterday afternoon released his April 2016 statement to police in which he said Mr Barclay told him he had recordings of an electorate staff member criticising him.
Otago University law professor, Andrew Geddis, said the alleged offence would have been enough to see Mr Barclay automatically removed from Parliament.
Mr Geddis told Morning Report the police would have to prove the MP had deliberately made secret recordings of someone else's conversations.
Morning Report also talked to political commentators David Slack and Ben Thomas about the fallout from Mr Barclay recording a staffer.
