Winston Peters confirms Brexit political operatives working for NZ First campaign
NZ First leader Winston Peters has confirmed that the UK political operatives who worked on the Brexit campaign are helping his party this election. Peters also says his partys controversial New Zealand First Foundation, currently being investigated by the Serious Fraud Office, has been shuttered and is no longer accepting donations. Peters, speaking on RNZ on Monday morning, said a contract had been signed with wealthy United Kingdom businessman Arron Banks and political activist Andy Wigmore the self-described Bad Boys of Brexit who were behind the Leave.EU campaign. The pair have said in an interview with Newshub that they are assisting with NZ Firsts social media campaign and are promising to provide voters Winston on steroids. READ MORE: * Winston Peters takes unexpected medical leave * NZ First foundation funded MP's junket to UK election * Songs, jokes and serious fraud in New Zealand politics * Serious Fraud Office will investigate New Zealand First Foundation Peters had previously denied reports that Banks, Wigmore, and others associated with the Leave.EU campaign were headed to New Zealand to assist him, and the party will make no further comment on this rubbish. Banks and Wigmore are instead working for Peters from Britain. Peters in 2016 expressed his support for Brexit during a speech at Britains House of Lords. On Monday, he said other political parties have used overseas connections to assist with campaigns, such as the National Party hiring strategists Crosby Textor, and Labour having international socialist and labour arms all around the world helping them. I was talking to those two gentlemen they said to me that, We'd like to help you in any way, what can we do? And I said, If you've got any bright ideas then let's talk about that. But that's all it is. And I said, but I've got a problem in this country ... If I am associated with anyone I'll have to have a contract ... They said, Were not concerned about that. Banks told a 2018 fake news inquiry in Britain: We were not above using alternative methods to punch home our message or lead people up the garden path if we had to. Peters, when asked if this was something that could be expected in the New Zealand election, said such a question was defamatory innuendo. We have people helping us all around the world, all legal, all above board, he said. NZ First MP Clayton Mitchell visited the UK in 2019 to observe the countrys election, a trip partly paid for by Nigel Farages Brexit Party. The annual pecuniary interest register, released in April, showed the New Zealand First Foundation helped pay for the trip. The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) is currently investigating the foundation after the Electoral Commission found that, in its view, donations to the foundation should have been declared on party electoral returns. Separate investigations published by Stuff and RNZ also found the foundation had paid for some party expenses. On Monday, Peters said this entry into the pecuniary interest register should have been corrected, as there was the odd bill that went to the wrong place. The foundation was not operating any longer, he said. We did not set it up in that context. It was set up for a political cause ... Its been the subject of the investigation, things have stopped pending that investigation, he said.