Just out from the police:
An allegation has been made against a sitting member of Parliament. Wellington police are conducting a preliminary investigation into this matter.
UPDATE: Key has just confirmed at his press conference that Worth has quit because of a “criminal matter”.
Another week to the left. How utterly tragic. This doesn’t exactly sound like a fraud-related crime really does it. This would appear to be something else.
The NZ Herald strings the dots together.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10576151
Was that a freudian slip on the part of Jane Patterson talking to Katherin Ryan on 9 till Noon…Worth could only be removed form parliament if he were “…convicted of an assault with a charge of two or more years”
Maybe a slip, but not a Freudian one.
Maybe he shot David Bain’s family..
Well they can’t do much else but hang him out to dry now.
We will find out soon enough. I am picking that it is an entirely different issue to the ones he was embroiled in earlier.
That is my thought as well.
This is how you deal with a minister in disgrace, how refreshing to see honesty from our PM after nine years of corruption from Labour and Clark.
[lprent: bb – of course you’re ignoring that it is likely that Key knew about this months ago. He has given Worth a *lot* of previous slack and ‘chances’. If this had been Clark or Goff you’d have been calling for a dumping months ago.
In other words you’re just spinning bullshit in your usual hypocritical and incontinent fashion. Why not just keep pissing in the sewer rather than trolling here – doesn’t matter what name you use.. ]
Well John Key, he was going to fire him before he resigned.
Not before 2004 or so, when she would drop cabinet ministers on a regular basis. Last term was worst however.
See you edited out your baby rapist comment. Smart move. Made you look even more of a fool. Clark dropped ministers at one every 9 months. You used to point to all those resignations as proof Labour was corrupt. Now you forget them.
Sorry for posting so soon after yours all-your-base. Bloody thing kept getting out of date. Couldn’t schedule it too far ahead.
And you know that because Key said it himself, eh Brett?
The problem with that is he didn’t fire him. He could have and he probably should have, but he didn’t so what are you saying?
He just didn’t get around to it? He wanted to but he wasn’t allowed? What is it?
Will he go as an MP or just from his Ministerial position?
The idiot should resign completely regardless of actual criminality. Especially because of this: Mr Key was alerted to the matter last week, before the MP told him about it. .
Ouch Brett… read that and weep.
It seems like Worth is being investigated for alleged assault.
Apparently he’s a mean drunk.
Does this mean that Labour have a better chance at taking Epsom in 2011?
No
Thanks gc, your optimism is eternal.
Labour’s Epsom odds are roughly similar to National’s in Hutt South.
As I understand it this is a particularly nasty situation. I don’t think he’ll be coming back from it.
So its more than what Jasper is speculating and certainly isn’t related to fraud-like crimes?
GC
Assault is part of it from what I’ve got from my source. There may be more but they didn’t know at that point.
No comment.
@Zetetic – no worries, the more the merrier I reckon.
http://nz.messages.yahoo.com/nz-news/nz-election/55814/
Looks like his actions after the assault on Jarnil Sandhu are coming back to haunt him.
Tom that isn’t what I would call “particularly nasty”. I don’t think its that.
IrishBill: deleted due to possibly defamatory content.
hmmmmmmmm … always thought you were scum …… nice to have it confirmed.
From Coln Espiner’s blog:
“Well, I’ve just returned from a quite extraordinary press conference with John Key.
It took a long time to get any details at all. But it transpires that Key’s office was contacted last week by a third party with some information about Worth that relates to a criminal matter. Worth had not told the PM about this matter. The PM confronted Worth, a discussion ensued, and ended with Worth tendering his resignation. Key told us: “If he hadn’t resigned I would have sacked him.”
Key told us it was a criminal matter, although Worth hasn’t been charged with anything. The police have just released a very short statement saying they are investigating a complaint against a sitting member of Parliament. They do not even name Worth, though the PM has confirmed it is Worth.
What it is Worth is alleged to have done we do not know. However, the PM has said it has nothing to do with Worth’s business dealings, or the trip to India. We asked him if the complainant was a woman, or whether it related to any sexual matter, and Key replied: “I am not at liberty to say.”
***
Is Kevin Taylor on holiday? What a PR nightmare.
No they weren’t felix, and much as I am enjoying this that is a comment that is beyond the pale.
Would it be too much to hope that this was Worth(less)’s third strike?
John Key dodged a bullet yesterday.
Labour did not ask the usual question in the House: “Does he have confidence in all his Ministers?”
If they had, Key’s answer would have been back to haunt him today.
This aint a Winston Peters drunken romp or Mallards fists of fury.
This is serious by any measure which you might gauge from no Political point scoring off it.
Exactly, and I would appreciate it if speculation on the matter was kept off The Standard.