Labour leader Jacinda Ardern's partner Clarke Gayford has hit out at a critical column by former ACT party leader Richard Prebble.
Mr Prebble wrote that Ms Ardern "has never had a real job, any real life experience and has an undistinguished parliamentary career" in an NZME column.
That riled radio broadcaster Gayford, who responded to the disparaging opinion piece in a tweet.
"As a partner it's bloody hard to face some of this rubbish," he wrote.
"Scaremongering old dinos like R Prebble need to crawl into SJ's [Steven Joyces's] imaginary 11b hole."
Ms Ardern was caught off guard when asked about Mr Gayford's comment this morning.
"Did he now? I hadn't seen that tweet," she laughed.
She said Mr Gayford "has been interested in politics long before he met me".
The Labour leader brushed of Mr Prebble's criticisms and said she wasn't worried.
"I'd probably be surprised if Richard Prebble was coming out in favour of me at this point, so it doesn't particularly surprise me," she said.
"We're in the heat of a campaign; things like that will be thrown around by commentators and people who have been in politics in the past."
Newshub.
