Labour's assault claim cover-up wouldn't have happened under Helen Clark - Mike Williams

  • 14/03/2018

A former president of the Labour Party says reluctance to tell the Prime Minister about a possible sexual assault scandal would not have happened under Helen Clark's rule.

Four people were sexually assaulted at a Young Labour camp in February, but Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern was not told about the incident until it broke in the media on Monday.

The party has been criticised for being slow to act on the assaults, as well as allowing alcohol to be consumed at the event.

Mike Williams, who came up with the camps, says under his watch the Prime Minister would have been informed in minutes.

"I would have communicated such an event to Helen [Clark] the minute shortly after it happened," he told Three's The Project. "But that's something they'll have to learn from."

Mr Williams does not necessarily believe people in the party executive should lose their job in the fallout from the scandal, but the Government will have to learn from their mistakes.

"This is a relatively new Government, these are people who don't have experience of Government in the party - and communication lines have got to be opened up," he said.

"You can guarantee that they will learn from this."

Watch the video for the full The Project interview.