Former Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters is calling for a vote of no confidence against Speaker of the House Trevor Mallard, who he accused of being “out of control and power drunk”.
It comes after the Speaker on Tuesday moved to issue two-year Parliamentary trespass notices to seven people, including three former MPs. Peters was among the group of former MPs issued a notice.
There had been 151 trespass notices issued over the Parliament protest - 144 of them to people who were arrested.
Five of the notices were withdrawn on Wednesday “as the persons are now thought unlikely to seriously offend or incite others to commit serious offences”. Two others remain in force.
READ MORE: Winston Peters' Parliament trespass notice withdrawn by Speaker
“As has been reported, a meeting last night of the Parliamentary Service Commission established a general consensus that former members of Parliament should be treated on the same basis as other members of the public," Mallard said in a statement announcing the reversal.
Seven people who were not arrested at the protest earlier this year were issued trespass notices for being a 'person of interest'. (Source: 1News)
“Having dealt with that issue, the question then is what is a proportionate response in light of the time since the occupation and serious criminal offending.
"The behaviour of some individuals was clearly more egregious than others, and on that basis it has been relatively easy to identify those persons issued with trespass notices who no longer are regarded as being a risk to the safety and security of others at Parliament.
“Further trespass notices may be issued for persons arrested as part of the ongoing Police investigation, or if they are deemed by Parliamentary Security as likely to reoffend in a serious manner in future."
Peters said in a statement on Wednesday afternoon that the "debacle" created by Mallard's "dictatorial and bullyboy behaviour" is "just another in a long list of examples of his unsuitability to remain in his role as Speaker".
He added that the Speaker's statement holds “two clear implications” that the former MPs were “considered likely to ‘seriously offend or incite others to’ and to be a ‘risk to the safety and security of Parliament’".
“It is an outrageous insult that Mallard, in the role of Speaker of the House, would hold this view of myself and my former parliamentary colleagues,” he said.
“This is evidence of how out of control and power drunk he has now become. The Speaker must now be subject to a motion of no confidence immediately.”
Peters called on current MPs to “stand up and do their duty and move a motion of no confidence”.
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