7 May 2012

PM 'deeply disappointed' at MFAT leak

7:51 pm on 7 May 2012

Prime Minister John Key says he is deeply disappointed a Cabinet paper about proposed cuts to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade was leaked to the Labour Party.

Labour MP Phil Goff obtained the leaked documents which confirm that MFAT has changed its plans to cut costs because it failed to get buy-in from staff.

Mr Key says he cannot be sure where the leak came from, but thinks there will be a lot of staff at the ministry who will be ashamed of the action.

He says those who leaked the documents have let the organisation down badly and while he has not asked the State Services Commission to investigate the leak, he understands that it is doing so.