Labour’s finance spokesperson has apologised to the Finance Minister after leaked audio surfaced in which she referred to Nicola Willis as a “duck-faced horse.”
The comment was made during a Q&A session at a Labour Party candidate list conference over the weekend, intended to test MPs on how they would handle difficult or nonsensical questions.
During the exercise, candidates were given a random question an MP might face and asked to respond in a way that incorporated Labour’s political messaging.
The question posed in the exercise was, “Would you rather fight 100 duck-sized horses or one horse-sized duck? ”
Several candidates were present, including sitting MP Kieran McAnulty.
“I don’t know how many duck-shaped horses, or whatever the hell the question was,” before carrying on to make a point he wanted to make – that may have nothing to do with the question,” McAnulty said.
In the recording, another candidate said, “100 duck-shaped horses, one horse-shaped – has duck” with a second voice correcting him, saying it was “size.”
Labour’s finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds, when responding, said, “Every week I have to stand up in the house and ask a duck-faced horse – did I get that right? [laughs] – questions every single week.”
Edmonds then said that she “clearly said it wrong” and that she alone was at fault. She said she got the question “muddled” and should have written it down, acknowledging the irony of getting a question wrong during a Q&A session, and adding that the lesson was to always write it down.
“I didn’t have a pen and paper with me, but ultimately it’s my mistake, I muddled it, and I apologise for any offence that it caused.”
“I take accountability for it. I absolutely feel terrible about it, and I do apologise for any offence that it caused.”
“Especially to the Minister of Finance. That was not my intention, and I apologise for it.”