Click the video tab to view the PM's gesture
By Lloyd Burr and Ally Mullord
Prime Minister John Key is under scrutiny for his actions in Parliament yesterday when a man tried leaping into the debating chamber, with readers of 3news.co.nz saying Mr Key made a throat-slitting gesture at the Labour Party.
In the video footage Mr Key is seen gesturing near his throat with his hands. The nature of the gesture is unclear.
In question time yesterday, a man tried to leap from the public gallery into the debating chamber below but was restrained by a member of the diplomatic protection squad.
After the man has been restrained, Mr Key can be heard saying “you should be ashamed of yourselves.” This statement is followed by an outburst of disgust from Labour’s deputy leader Annette King, suggesting Mr Key directed his comment at the Labour Party.
“What, what,” she says, “we should be ashamed of ourselves?”
The Parliament Television-provided footage then becomes unintelligible as several members of parliament begin speaking at once, but New Zealand Herald chief political commentator John Armstrong, who was in Parliament at the time of the incident, reported that Mr Key said “That’s down to you”.
3 News believes Mr Key may have said, “I said we needed them for situations like this”.
Mr Key says his comments referred to Labour’s criticism of the number of diplomatic protection squad members he has compared to predecessor Helen Clark.
In the footage, after the Speaker calls for order, Mr Key raises his hand to his throat and makes a gesture in the direction of the Labour Party benches. 3 News readers have speculated this was a throat-slitting gesture - however Mr Key may just have been backing the Speaker's calls for silence.
The gesture is followed by Ms King shouting “you scumbag, you scumbag, you are… fancy saying that”.
Fellow MP Trevor Mallard is also heard shouting “scumbag”. Other MPs are heard saying “shocking comment, shocking comment”.
3 News