Sharmageddon

Newshub report:

The Hamilton West MP has come out swinging – in fact, he’s hit the nuclear button. He’s accusing the Prime Minister and her office of a “cover-up” and says the Labour Party held a “Kangaroo Court” to decide his fate.

He’s also played Newshub a recording of another MP saying to him the outcome of the caucus meeting in which he was suspended was predetermined the night before.  …

Newshub knows the identity of the MP, but revoiced the recording to protect their identity. The MP tells Dr Sharma his fate was sealed at the meeting. 

“It’s all predetermined. This is purely just to get them where they want to be, which is for caucus to be aware that a decision will need to be made and that it will be, it’s gonna be to whack you,” the MP said.

So this other Labour MP said that the secret caucus meeting was absolutely to predetermine what would happen to Sharma. But the PM said:

Earlier this week, the Prime Minister was adamant there was no predetermination.

“You have my assurance and word here, it would not have been in the rules to make any pre-determination,” said Jacinda Ardern on Tuesday. “We wouldn’t and we didn’t.”

So who do we believe – the person who convened the secret caucus meeting and tried to hide its existence from Dr Sharma and the public, or the Labour MP who spoke to Dr Sharma?

The MP on the recording accuses his colleague of bullying.

“Those guys are bullies. No two ways around it.”

So it isn’t just Dr Sharma saying it.