The Prime Minister has defended Speaker Trevor Mallard in his latest spat with the National Party.Â
Simon Bridges has yesterday thrown out of Parliament's debating chamber for calling Mallard unprofessional.
The Opposition leader was firing questions at the Prime Minister and became embroiled in an argument with Mallard about giving the Government favourable treatment.
Bridges accused Mallard of treating him like a naughty boy, while Mallard accused Bridges of making a barnyard noise which wouldn't be acceptable in a junior classroom.
Asked for her thought, Jacinda Ardern told Jamie Mackay that previous Speakers have also thrown people out of Parliament.Â
"You'd probably get more complaints out of the Government about Speaker Mallard than you would from an Opposition."Â
She cited his new rule where questions are removed from the Government and are awarded to the Opposition, and vice versa.Â
"I think the mark of a good Speaker is when both sides of the House complain about you, and I do genuinely believe Mallard is a good speaker."Â
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