Mahuta ignored Cabinet decision

Stuff reports:

Labour has been unwilling to detail how it made the “mistake” of voting for the clause, but Ardern has suggested Cabinet ministers and MPs were unaware of the exact contents of the Green Party supplementary order paper Labour voted for.

Luxon on Wednesday suggested in questions that Mahuta, the local government minister, had breached the Cabinet manual by supporting the entrenchment clause in a speech to the House, after Cabinet had previously resolved not to entrench in May.

“Why is she tolerated a minister going against the explicit instructions of her and her Cabinet?”

This is pretty amazing stuff. Cabinet resolved in May not to proceed with entrenchment, yet Mahuta worked with the Greens to support entrenchment, and took their proposal to caucus.

Any other Minister would be gone by now.

If Labour lose the next election, I wonder if Mahuta could replace Ardern as leader. She is obviously the most powerful Minister after Grant Robertson.