National MPs have come out against Speaker of the House Trevor Mallard after Simon Bridges was asked to leave the House on Wednesday.
National deputy leader Paula Bennett said it was "extraordinary" that the leader of the Opposition was thrown out of the House along with National MP Gerry Brownlee.
Mr Bridges spoke to media after he left the House, and said he thinks his comment about the Speaker "protecting" Jacinda Ardern was what led to his removal.
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"The Prime Minister wouldn't answer and Mr Mallard was trying to protect her," Mr Bridges said, after he was asked to leave the House of Representatives.
"I've made that point to him. I said, 'Here comes the protection'."
Ms Bennett echoed Mr Bridges' claim, taking to Twitter to accuse the Speaker of protecting Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, when "all she had to do was answer the questions".
The Upper Harbour MP erupted in the House after the ordeal, joking that despite it being an "extraordinary day", it may not seem so extraordinary because it's "just another day we've had no answers from the Prime Minister whatsoever".
"We want to hear from the Prime Minister what is going on in the Sroubek fiasco, what her involvement is, and whether or not she is going to stand up to a victim that her Government is putting in danger," said Ms Bennett, referring to Karel Sroubek's estranged ex-wife.
National's justice spokesperson Mark Mitchell said on Tuesday the ex-wife of the Czech drug smuggler fears for her safety after Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters suggested she was a National Party informant.
Speaking on behalf of Ms Ardern during Question Time on Tuesday, Mr Peters said that National had not denied that the wife was an informant, after calling the wife a "National Party informant" while speaking on behalf of Ms Ardern during Question Time last week.
The family of Sroubek's ex-wife have said they've had enough, Mr Mitchell said on Tuesday, and that Mr Peters has caused "immense stress and 'a feeling of utter hopelessness'."
Ms Bennett accused the Prime Minster of distancing herself from the debacle during Question Time on Wednesday, which is what led Mr Bridges to press Ms Ardern on the Sroubek issue.
National has called for Immigration Minister Iain Lees-Galloway to resign over his handling of the Sroubek case, after he was originally given New Zealand residency despite being in prison for smuggling a-class drugs.
"We do demand answers and we feel like we stand in this House day after day asking straight and direct questions and not getting [answers] from the Government," said Ms Bennett.
"We will stand here day after day and ask questions on behalf of New Zealanders on serious matters that the Prime Minister can duck and can dive and avoid and use a lot of words, but not actually say anything."
National MP David Carter also criticised the Speaker for his decision to ask Mr Bridges to leave the House, saying the events of Question Time have caused him to "reflect on the frustration that is building among the Opposition".
"I think, Sir, your actions this week has not been helpful to the order of the House."
"The Opposition's job here is to hold the Government to account."
It comes after Mr Mallard came down hard on Mr Bridges for remarks he made during Question Time in the House on Tuesday.
Mr Mallard called the National leader's comments "smart-ass", and said he wants to "reinforce the fact that I have had more than enough of points of order that are nothing but disorderly".
Mr Brownlee then criticised the Speaker for using "inappropriate" language, after last month calling for an independent external review into bullying and harassment of staff.
Mr Mallard apologised for making the "smart-ass" comment.
He then then singled out Mr Bridges and ACT leader David Seymour as the "two worst offenders" in terms of using points of order inappropriately.
Newshub.
