Chris Hipkins says David Seymour clearly breached the Cabinet manual with his Land Rover antics on Monday. Photo: RNZ / Samuel Rillstone
ACT leader David Seymour's letter to police in support of eye surgeon Philip Polkinghorne is a massive abuse of power, Labour leader Chris Hipkins says.
While MP for Epsom, Seymour told police they had gone beyond their brief in investigating Polkinghorne, one of his constituents, after his wife's death.
Hipkins on Wednesday told Morning Report Seymour was not fit to be a minister and Prime Minister Christopher Luxon should sack him.
Luxon was accepting far worse behaviour from Seymour than any committed by former Labour ministers and was not imposing any kind of reprimand, Hipkins said.
"I think that's a massive abuse of power, whether you're a minister or just an MP, and the fact that the prime minister doesn't seem to think that there's anything wrong with that is a major problem for New Zealand," he said.
Luxon has described Seymour's letter as "ill-advised" but said Seymour's conduct at the time was not a breach of the Cabinet manual because he wasn't a minister.
But Hipkins says Seymour committed a clear breach of the Cabinet manual in a separate incident on Monday.
Despite being told the Speaker had refused permission for him to drive a Land Rover up the steps of Parliament he went ahead and did it anyway.
Seymour had also misled the Speaker by saying he wasn't aware of the latter's ruling, Hipkins said.
David Seymour starts to drive a Land Rover up the steps of Parliament, in a screenshot from the Act Party's video of the event. Photo: Screenshot / Act Party
The Labour leader called on Gerry Brownlee to reconsider his decision not to punish the Minister.
Seymour's actions should also be referred to the Priviliges Committee, he said.
The ACT leader was more interested in creating "a three ring circus" instead of focusing on doing the right thing for the country.
