Paris, baby!

Stuff reports:

Stuff understands Lees-Galloway and the woman met for a romantic rendezvous in Paris in January, while he was in the city on official Government business. According to a source close to one of the parties, he paid for her flights and hotel.

So far, there has been no evidence to suggest that it didn’t come out of his own pocket.

If the taxpayer didn’t pay, then it isn’t of public interest.

However it does raise an interesting point. A Minister always travels with staff and officials. It is highly unlikely they would not have noticed the presence of the woman in Paris. And this leads to the wider issue of did the PM really have no idea at all about this until this week?

Barry Soper makes the point:

Jacinda Ardern must have been the last person to know that the minister she’s protected through thick and thin had been having an affair with a staffer.

The rumour mill over Iain Lees-Galloway’s behaviour has been working overtime for months now.

The Prime Minister insists she was unaware of it – which raises the question over whether she’s in touch with her party and in particular her ministry.

If she’s not in touch with what’s going on around her, surely those who are employed to keep her informed have dismally failed her.

For you to believe the PM had no idea at all, you have to believe either:

• The staff on the 9th floor were the only people in Parliament not to have heard the rumour; OR
• The 9th floor staff did hear about it, and decided not to tell the PM that one of her Ministers was having an affair with a staffer.