‘Attention-seeking behaviour’: David Parker upbraids Gaurav Sharma as Labour MPs arrive for caucus vote


Labour MPs have started arriving at Parliament ahead of the Labour Party caucus vote over the future of renegade MP Gaurav Sharma.

Meanwhile, the rebel MP arrived in Wellington on Tuesday morning ahead of the caucus meeting, which he said he would attend.

“All I am asking for is a fair investigation and a fair trial,” Sharma told Newshub at the airport.

“But also a chance for Kieran McAnulty to clear his name through an independent investigation.

MP Gaurav Sharma faces a Labour caucus meeting on Tuesday morning to decide his fate.

Stuff

MP Gaurav Sharma faces a Labour caucus meeting on Tuesday morning to decide his fate.

Labour MPs mostly appeared disappointed by the turn of events over the past 10 days .

Sharma has mounted a public campaign, directing bullying and other accusations against his colleagues including former whip Kieran McAnulty and Whip Duncan Webb. The accusations came after he was not allowed to hire more electorate staff because of the way he behaved in his office.

When asked if there should be an investigation into Sharma’s claims of bullying and MPs being allegedly coached to dodge Official Information act request, Minister for the Environment David Parker was adamant that there should not be.

“Absolutely not, its attention seeking behaviour and I know, for example, of Kieran McAnulty that he’s trustworthy, mature.”

Minister for Commerce and Consumer Affairs David Clark said that caucus would be closely considering the matter.

“I’m really sad about it. I’m really proud of the approach we’ve taken. I think it’s incredibly conciliatory,” Helen White, a list-based MP who arrived in 2020 with Sharma, said.

“I think that he’s made his own choices”.

White, who used to be an employment lawyer, said that she had seen the sorts of behaviour exhibited by Sharma during the course of her professional career.

“We have a really strong and very good communication in our caucus. And, you know, it’s a pity that he has walked away from that,” she said.

“I think he’s been given good, fair treatment.”

“I’m going to see how what happens at corpus and then make a decision,” Minister for Ethnic Communities Priyanca Radhakrishnan said.

When asked is she had any sympathy for Sharma, she said that he hadn’t turned up to caucus to give his account.

“We haven’t heard his side have we because he didn’t turn up to caucus, so We’ll see what happens next.”

The Labour caucus meets at 10am.



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