‘Watch it’: Luxon on tensions between MPs
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon says he’s “reached out” to ACT minister Karen Chhour, who tearfully told media last week she felt bullied in the House as tensions between parties and MPs has ratcheted up.
Chhour has been under increasing pressure in the House to answer over controversial policies including bootcamps for young people and the removal of Treaty obligations from the Oranga Tamariki Act. Last week she told Stuff’s
ThreeNews she felt bullied, tearfully the cameras she had had enough.
Chhour had reportedly complained to the Speaker after being described as a “puppet” in the House during general debate. And by the end of last week Chhour’s tears had been the subject of a social media post by Te Pāti Māori co-leader Debbie Ngarewa Packer, who mocked her “fragility”.
Speaking yesterday afternoon at a post-Cabinet press conference, Luxon said while ultimately the behaviour of MPs in the House was a matter for the Speaker, “I’ve been saying for months and months that every political leader needs to watch the rhetoric, and that civility in our politics is really important.
“It does not mean by any stretch of the imagination that we will agree, as you can see across this Parliament in an MMP environment, there are parties of all sorts with all sorts of different views. But my ask is that everybody has a responsibility to watch the tone.
“As a political leader, it’s important that language matters, rhetoric matters, tone matters, and I think you can have strong differences of opinion without having to resort to personal disparagement.
“Parliament is a robust place, it needs to be ... where you can debate the ideas and differences in policies, but we can also be respectful of each other.”
He said he and his office had “reached out” to both ACT and Chhour and Chhour’s office, “and they are making sure she’s got support ... My message is pretty clear .... watch the rhetoric”.
An ACT spokesperson confirmed Luxon had been in touch.