Spy debacle exposes chaos in the Beehive

The incompetence of the top echelon of this Government has been exposed by John Key’s admission that his own deputy didn’t tell him he’d signed a ministerial certificate a month ago related to spies snooping on Dotcom, says Labour Leader David Shearer.

“It beggars belief that Bill English didn’t think it was worth ringing John Key about it when he was overseas, telling him about it on his return or mentioning it in Cabinet yesterday before the Prime Minister gave a press conference about the issue.

“According to John Key, he only found out about it last night when his spy agency GCSB informed him.

“Why didn’t Bill English tell him? His only excuse can be that he doesn’t read what he signs, his memory has failed him or he simply wanted to hang his boss out to dry.

“John Key says it’s quite normal for these issues not to be in the public domain. But that doesn’t explain why Bill English failed to inform his own leader that he signed a document related to a high-profile, politically sensitive case involving the country’s spy agency and potentially affecting our relationship with the United States.

“The Dotcom spying debacle has exposed a failure of leadership and accountability at the top levels of the Beehive. And as the Minister responsible for the Government Communications Security Bureau, the buck stops with John Key,” said David Shearer.