By Duncan Garner
ACT has dumped its deputy leader Heather Roy.
Ms Roy has been replaced by list MP John Boscowen, who also becomes a minister in the National government under the confidence and supply arrangement with ACT.
ACT started the day by kicking 3 News out of its offices.
Then hours later several ACT MPs got together to kick out their only woman - deputy leader Ms Roy.
“I've suggested she takes some time out and carefully considers what her next decision is,” says Rodney Hide.
The ACT leader says the decision to appoint Mr Boscowen was simple.
“John Boscowen put his hand up, John succeeded,” he says.
Ms Roy was also Consumer Affairs Minister - she loses that job too and Mr Boscowen will pick it up.
Mr Boscowen’s claim to fame is getting sconed by a lamington during the Mt Albert by-election.
“I believed I could better assist Rodney running our election campaign,” says Mr Boscowen.
Ms Roy has paid the price for being disloyal. She was never a Mr Hide fan and had tried to roll him last year.
At times she was open in her criticism of Mr Hide.
It's believed her only supporter today was Sir Roger Douglas.
But Mr Hide's news conference turned farcical. He wouldn't say why Ms Roy was dumped.
“I'm not prepared to go into the issues that were discussed at caucus,” Mr Hide told reporters.
MP David Garrett was just as tight-lipped.
“I fully support the leader and the deputy lead,” he says.
So no one wants to speak about the bleedingly obvious - that Ms Roy and Mr Douglas have been unhappy with Mr Hide's leadership.
Ms Roy has today paid the ultimate price - her job. The question now is will she walk from Parliament altogether?
3 News
source: newshub archive
