23 Twyford hit by fresh allegations

By Cameron Slater on May 26, 2018 at 8:00am

Credit: Luke

Phil Twyford continues to be clubbed by Judith Collins, who has levelled fresh allegations of his arrogant and entitled behaviour on aircraft: Quote:

National MP Judith Collins says Transport Minister Phil Twyford stood up on a plane while the seatbelt sign was on to put his jacket in an overhead locker.

It was during the same flight that Twyford made a phone call after the plane’s doors had been closed, Collins said, citing an informant.

Twyford was relieved of his responsibility for the Civil Aviation Authority after he admitted he made a made a phone call on the Air New Zealand plane, which was still on the tarmac at Wellington.

Standing up while the seatbelt sign is lit, and using a mobile phone after the plane doors are closed are both in breach of CAA rules.

Twyford apologised and offered his resignation to Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern as Transport Minister after Collins put questions to him about the incident on May 17.

Collins said today she had been told about both incidents by the same member of the public.

“The same informant told me that following Phil’s phone call, he got up and took his jacket off and put it up in the luggage compartment when the plane was taxiing,” she said.

Comment was being sought from Twyford on the latest allegation.

Following Twyford’s admission yesterday, Ardern said she was disappointed, and expected all her ministers to act in accordance with the rules.  End quote

Isn’t it time Ardern sacked a minister?

Judith Collins is showing how you nobble a minister – death by a thousand cuts. Phil Twyford must loathe question time by now as each day he is pummelled by Judith Collins and Jami-Lee Ross.

The pressure is building on the vainglorious minister. Something is going to pop.

The funny thing about all of this is Phil Twyford’s own comments when Gerry Brownlee broke CAA rules: Quote:

Labour transport spokesperson Phil Twyford said John Key had been too quick off the mark in deciding not to accept Mr Brownlee’s resignation and should have waited for the outcome of the CAA investigation.

“The Prime Minister did say that he was going to hold National Party ministers to a higher standard of accountability, so I would have hoped that the prime minister would have waited for the facts to be on the table about what regulations Mr Brownlee might have breached.”

Mr Twyford said it was important Mr Brownlee was held to account, and pointed to the prosecution of John Banks when he was Police Minister for using his cellphone during a flight.

Well I think it’s very important, for the public, that politicians are seen not just to make the laws but to follow them, as well, and that’s a pretty fundamental principle of our democracy.” End quote.

Let’s hope that Mr Twyford will be held to the same standards he expected Gerry Brownlee to be held to. I am also waiting for comment from the PSA, who also climbed into the Gerry Brownlee issue, saying: Quote:

PSA acting national secretary Glen Barclay said staff were put in a difficult position when a minister requested or demanded help.

“It raises some questions about how the role that people with influence may have in shortcutting our aviation security systems. So it may well be worth looking at the wider issues here and not just the narrow legal one, to see what the outcomes should be.” End quote.

So far there is silence from the PSA about Phil Twyford breaking CAA rules and regulations.

Twyford’s arrogance was always going to get him in trouble, and so it has come to pass. Now if only we had a prime minister whose actions matched her rhetoric.