National MPs Paul Goldsmith and Simon Bridges have stormed out of Parliament after a tiff with House Speaker Trevor Mallard, who said his order to sit down had been ignored.
It happened as Goldsmith, National's education spokesperson, was questioning Education Minister Chris Hipkins about the need to get student attendance rates up in schools.
But Goldsmith was stopped in his line of questioning by the Speaker, who accused the National MP of ignoring his order to sit down.
"The minister's not going to answer it," Mallard said. "The member didn't sit down when I called him to order. The question is finished. The member may have a further supplementary."
Goldsmith responded: "I was looking the other way, how can I see?"
Mallard said even if Goldsmith should have heard him.
"I don't think anyone for a long time has accused me of having a quiet voice," Mallard said. "As I stood up, the member looked away. I consider that deliberate and if he didn't hear me that's his problem."
The Speaker told Goldsmith to "use his ears".
Mallard tried to move on to the next set of questions but Goldsmith stood to say he had another question to put to Hipkins.
"No, you don't," Mallard said.
Goldsmith then stood up and left the chamber, followed by National MP Simon Bridges.
Shadow Leader of the House National MP Chris Bishop asked the Speaker why Goldsmith wasn't allowed to ask another questions of Hipkins.
"Because I ruled that he would not have one after he took a point or order which he knew was out of order," Mallard said.
Earlier this month National called for a vote of no confidence in the Speaker after it was revealed taxpayers stumped up more than $300,000 to cover a legal dispute, prompted by Mallard's false claims an accused rapist was working at Parliament.
But Labour holds the majority in Parliament and the party indicated it would vote against the motion, meaning it wasn't debated.
