Former Ardern staffer recalls back-seat argument in new book
Former press secretary Andrew Campbell has released a memoir detailing his time working for Dame Jacinda Ardern during her tenure as New Zealand's Prime Minister. He recounts internal disagreements regarding the government's Covid-19 response, specifically arguing that the administration focused too heavily on mandates and failed to pivot to economic concerns quickly enough.
Why it matters
The book provides an insider perspective on the decision-making processes during major national crises and highlights the political tensions within the Labour government during the pandemic.
<p>Dame Jacinda Ardern’s former press secretary says he argued with her in the back of a Crown car that her government was “doing too much” during the Covid pandemic era and needed to focus in on the economy.</p> <p>Andrew Campbell writes about his years as Ardern's right hand man in a new memoir, In The Room. </p> <p>Campbell served as chief press secretary through much of Ardern's time in office, including during the March 15 attacks, the Whakaari White Island eruption and Covid.</p> <p><b></b><a href="https://www.tvnz.co.nz/player/newsclip/what-arderns-former-top-aide-has-revealed-about-the-covid-years" target="_blank"><b>What Ardern’s former top aide has revealed about the Covid years - watch on TVNZ+</b></a><b></b></p> <p>He told Q+A that the setting for the argument with the PM during the pandemic era made it “very uncomfortable, cause you’re sitting right next to each other”.</p> <p>“I was suggesting, in fact, that I thought the government was doing too much. It needed to do less.
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