Christopher Luxon denies 'ridiculous' accusation by Labour's Chris Hipkins
New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has dismissed claims by opposition leader Chris Hipkins that he disparaged his own party members. Hipkins alleged that Luxon compared his backbenchers to middle managers, a claim Luxon labeled as a ridiculous distraction from Labour's policy proposals.
Why it matters
This exchange highlights the ongoing political friction and tactical maneuvering between the governing National Party and the Labour opposition in New Zealand.
Christopher Luxon has labelled Labour's Chris Hipkins "ridiculous" for accusing him of insulting his own National Party backbenchers as "no better than a bunch of Air New Zealand middle managers".
"It's not something I would say," Luxon told reporters at Parliament on Wednesday.
Hipkins made the claim on Tuesday afternoon during a fiery debate about the sacking of Chris Penk from Cabinet , telling MPs that Luxon had badmouthed his caucus colleagues to a group of businesspeople in Auckland.
"I'm not sure who should be more offended by that: the National Party backbench or the middle managers at Air New Zealand, who, frankly, deserve a hell of a lot more respect than that," Hipkins said.
Asked for more details on Wednesday, Hipkins said he was told about the exchange by an Auckland businessperson "a couple of years ago" but did not have any proof.
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