Cormack says Twyford must go

David Cormack writes:

In the lead-up to the 2017 election there were two major policies of Labour’s that people seemed really enthusiastic about; KiwiBuild and the new rail system to go in Auckland. Twyford, for reasons that are now entirely unclear, was given responsibility for both. Boundless enthusiasm, confidence and some might say smugness poured forth as he promised the country 100,000 houses over 10 years and light rail up Dominion Road in Auckland by the time APEC rolled around in 2021.
So far he’s managed to make a complete hash of both.

It takes special talent to stuff up both projects.

While the Government continues to deny it solicited a proposal from the Super Fund for the light rail contract, there was engagement between Twyford and the Super Fund prior to the announcement of the bid. The fact that Twyford worked with Sir Brian Roche engaging with the Super Fund and then installed Sir Brian as Chair of NZTA is also a huge misjudgment. And the fact that not only will the light rail system not be ready in time for APEC it’s likely it won’t even have been started, is the final misstep that means Twyford just has to go.

In two years they haven’t even decided on a route or a mode.

Twyford’s inability to deliver on the two big promises he was tasked with really leaves the Prime Minister with no option but to remove him from any meaningful portfolio, or out of Cabinet completely. He is single-handedly hurting Labour’s brand as we head into the last 12 months of this Government before we go to election.

I predict there is no chance that Ardern will remove Twyford from Cabinet. If she started to remove Ministers for incompetence, then Cabinet might get rather small.