The National Party has lodged a notice of motion of no confidence in the Speaker of the House, Shadow Leader of the House Chris Bishop says.

“Speaker Trevor Mallard’s behaviour over the past few days has been unedifying, embarrassing and childish. Many New Zealanders are appalled and so are we.

“Actions like crowd-sourcing songs for a Spotify playlist to play to protesters and turning on the sprinklers have made people wonder what on earth Mr Mallard was doing.

“You can disagree with people without disrespecting them, and Mr Mallard’s petulant behaviour has only inflamed an already tense situation.

“We do not take this step lightly. It is important to note that Mr Mallard’s actions were done without the support of the New Zealand Police.

“To express no confidence in the Speaker is a serious step. But it is clear Mr Mallard’s actions have made the situation worse, not better.

“The fact that Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern will not express a view on Mr Mallard’s actions should speak volumes. She should now drop her support of him and replace him with a new Speaker who can command respect across the Parliament but also among the wider public.”

The motion reads:

That the House has no confidence in the Rt Hon Trevor Mallard as Speaker of the House of Representatives due to his childish, provocative and embarrassing behaviour during the occupation of and protest at Parliament grounds in February 2022, which was counterproductive to resolving the situation and done without the support of the New Zealand Police.

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