Deputy Prime Minister Grant Robertson has given a fiery speech over National leader Christopher Luxon's refusal to rule out working with Brian Tamaki's new political party should they get in at the next election.
While Luxon told multiple media outlets he doesn't think the NZ Freedoms Party will get enough votes, he also refused to rule out working with them outright.
"It's way too early to talk about that or speculate about it," he told RNZ last week.
READ MORE: Luxon 'doesn't anticipate' Freedoms NZ entering Parliament
On Wednesday, Robertson made his opinion on the matter clear, calling it a "colossal cock-up" that Luxon hadn't clearly shut down talk of working with Tamaki.
"What Mr Luxon has done by failing to rule out Brian Tamaki undermines the inclusive and accepting society that I would have hoped he would have been part of," Robertson said during a speech in the House.
He added it was probably in the Labour Party's interest that Luxon continued to not rule out Tamaki, but "I am pleading with Mr Luxon to do the right thing".
"Do not say to young gay New Zealanders that they do not matter, do not say to the women of New Zealand that they do not have a place in leadership.
"Because Mr Luxon you will be judged by the company you keep."
He finished by demanding Luxon rule out working with Tamaki to "stand up for New Zealanders' values".
National's deputy leader Nicola Willis wasn't impressed by Robertson's attack.
"You'll have to do a lot better than that," she said, rising to give her allotted speech.
"The country is going backwards at a rate of knots and all the Minister of Finance wants to do is platform the rantings of a crazy pastor who no one wants to engage with."
She then alluded to the Government's U-turn on KiwiSaver GST fees made earlier in the day.
READ MORE: Govt makes U-turn on KiwiSaver fee GST proposal
"Why does he want to do that? Because this is Labour's day of shame, caught red-handed with their hands in New Zealanders' KiwiSaver accounts."
Willis then attacked the Government on accusations of wasteful spending leading to high inflation.
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