Labour call for Bridges sacking

The Labour Party is calling for the sacking of Tauranga MP and Transport Minster Simon Bridges following allegations that he breached Cabinet guidelines by receiving advice on the Northland by-election bridges pledge.

Labour leader Andrew Little has today accused Simon of seeking information from roading officials in the days leading up to last month's major Northland by-election announcement.


Tauranga MP and Transport Minister Simon Bridges. Photo: File.

Fairfax Media reports that on March 9, National by-election candidate Mark Osborne said the party would replace 10 single-lane bridges on Northland's Twin Coast Highway over the next six years.

The move was widely regarded as an attempt to win voters, which National lost to Winston Peters on March 28.

National said the upgrades would proceed regardless of the election's outcome, at a cost of around $69m over six years.

Political blog Polity.co.nz have published a series of posts in which Simon was accused of breaching section 6.60 of the Cabinet Manual by asking the New Zealand Transport Agency for advice on Northland bridges in the lead-up to the by-election.

The post went on to show the response indicated that Bridges' office had requested the information be provided 'as soon as you can”.

Labour is now accusing Bridges of breaching the Cabinet Manual - part of which relates to conduct during an election period when ministers are not meant to use their ability to gather advice from officials for political gain.

Section 6.60 states: 'Before and after an election, the incumbent Ministers should ensure that any requests they make for advice or information from their officials is for the purposes of their portfolio responsibilities and not for party political purposes.”

In an Official Information Act document dated April 13, 2015, Simon's office denies receiving 'advice” from the NZTA in regards to the upgrade of the Northland bridges before the commitment was made.

However, the document does acknowledge 'general information concerning single-lane bridges in Northland was received over a period of time.”

The document shows the NZTA released detailed information to the minister's office as late as March 6 regarding the Northland bridge network, as well as pricing for upgrades of various bridges - just days before the government announced the upgrade commitments on March 9.

Labour leader Andrew Little says Simon should be sacked not only as Transport Minister, but he should lose all of his ministerial warrants, because of the emails.

Andrew says from the timing of the responses to requests 'it is quite clear he was getting advice at the time of an election, the Northland by-election, clearly for the purposes of that by-election.”

TVNZ reports that Prime Minister John Key has defended his Transport Minister and has no plans to take action. They also state that Key has full confidence in him as a minister.

In a statement on Tuesday afternoon, Simon said he was 'confident that I have not breached the Cabinet Manual”.

'I asked for factual information that I was entitled to ask for as the Transport Minister in March 2015.”

He could not be reached for further comment by SunLive this morning.

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7 comments

A bridge too far......

Posted on 15-04-2015 11:19 | By Jimmy Ehu

well Simon this will test your "true grit", and earn your wage packet!!!!


Rapper

Posted on 15-04-2015 15:37 | By penguin

Key's repeated rhetoric about having


He has or he hasn't.

Posted on 15-04-2015 16:05 | By Merlin

Either he has broken cabinet manual or he hasn't that is the question and John Key has again sidestepped the answer.John Key will have to get a bigger carpet to sweep things under for his errant Ministers.From where I sit it appears that he has and if so should bear the consequences.


Great headline

Posted on 15-04-2015 19:01 | By nerak

to come home to after a great day out! Bring it on.


He does not think

Posted on 16-04-2015 08:26 | By Merlin

john Key says he does not think he has broken the cabinet manual.What sort of answer is that.Answer an evasive one.Lets get a test to see if he has or not and not all this thinking rubbish type of answer we are getting from him.


Simon is a good MP

Posted on 16-04-2015 10:57 | By Annalist

He is intelligent and seems to have the interests of Tauranga at heart. I do have plenty of questions about some recent government decisions. But overall I think he's a good person for the job. Labour is just politicking and I guess the Nats and other parties would do the same.


A annalist

Posted on 20-04-2015 17:51 | By nerak

I presume you think dumbing of the masses is a good thing too?


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