National leader Judith Collins says she “certainly did not push” MP Nick Smith to resign over a Parliamentary Services inquiry into a “verbal altercation” he had with a staffer.
It comes as Politik’s Richard Harman reported this morning Collins had, either “by accident or intent … forced Smith’s resignation”.
Politik reported Collins warned her caucus last month that the media were about to report on a “scandal involving one of the party’s MPs”. A source told Politik Collins didn’t name the MP at the time, but on Friday, she had told Smith a story about him would appear in the media this week.
In his statement announcing his resignation on Monday, Smith said he was told on Friday word of the Parliamentary Services inquiry into the “verbal altercation” was leaked to the media and was going to be released the next day.
He cited personal and professional reasons for the resignation after 30 years as an MP, including the inquiry.
But no such story appeared yesterday, and the media had only reported on the reaction to the veteran MP’s resignation.
“I certainly did not push Nick Smith,” Collins told Breakfast, in response to the Politik story. But, she said she felt Smith had made the right decision for himself.
“Nick made it very clear to me [at the] end of last year that he wasn’t sure he would want to stay.
“He’s someone who has been 30 years the MP for Nelson. He lost the election and he was feeling somewhat discombobulated … by the fact that he was no longer Nick for Nelson.”
Smith had also felt “a lot of pressure” over the Parliamentary Services investigation, she said.
Collins didn’t want to disclose what she had said to National’s caucus. But she said whenever she heard any “hint” one of her MPs was “under attack”, she’d always let them know.
She said she found out about the Parliamentary Service investigation from Smith "late last year", and not from Parliamentary Services who had “not felt the need to brief me on it”.
Of Smith’s colleagues yesterday, only senior whip Matt Doocey said he had been aware of the inquiry for a "period of time" . Former leader Simon Bridges and deputy leader Shane Reti both said they hadn’t known about it until Smith had released his statement on Monday.
Collins said “some sort of report” had been completed by Parliamentary Services into the incident, but she hadn’t seen it yet.
Collins also revealed the complaint to Parliamentary Services which triggered the inquiry, which 1 NEWS understands was related to bullying, wasn’t made by Smith’s staffer who was involved in the “verbal altercation”. Instead, it was made by another National Party staffer.
Political reporter Benedict Collins went to Nelson in search of Smith. (Source: Other)
“There was a verbal altercation, as Nick has said. I think it was a two-way altercation, discussions,” Collins said.
“It was overheard by a staff member of another MP who recorded part of that without, I understand, the permission of those involved.”
She said the recording was then passed on to Parliamentary Services. She said Smith had also asked to hear it, citing natural justice concerns, but hadn’t been able to.
Collins said she didn’t know where the recording had ended up, and that it was up to Parliamentary Services to answer that.
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