New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern was caught on a hot mic on Tuesday calling a rival MP what sound like "arrogant prick".
Ardern made the comment when MP David Seymour was questioning her government during the Parliament's Question Time. He leads the libertarian ACT Party.
In a video of the comment shared online, Ardern is faintly heard saying what sounds like "arrogant prick".
Ardern said what sounded like, “He's such an arrogant prick" after sitting down. Her words are barely audible on Parliament TV but are just picked up in the background by her desk microphone as House Speaker Adrian Rurawhe talks.
Ardern's office said she apologised to Seymour for the comment. When asked by The Associated Press to clarify, Ardern's office did not dispute the comment. In an interview with the AP, Seymour said she had used those words.
He said, “I'm absolutely shocked and astonished at her use of language. It's very out of character for Jacinda, and I've personally known her for 11 years.”
Seymour said it was also ironic because his question to Ardern had been about whether she had ever admitted a mistake as leader and then fixed it.
“And she couldn't give a single example of when she's admitted she's wrong and apologised," Seymour said.
Seymour said that in her text, Ardern wrote that she “apologised, she shouldn't have made the comments, and that, as her mom said, if you don't have anything nice to say, don't say it.”
Seymour, who said he admired some of Ardern's political skills immensely, said he'd written back to Ardern thanking her for the apology and wishing her a very Merry Christmas.
After five years as prime minister, Ardern faces a tough election campaign in 2023. Her liberal Labour Party won reelection two years ago in a landslide of historic proportions, but recent polls have put her party behind its conservative rivals.
This is not the first time that a world leader has been caught using expletives on hot mic. In January, US President Joe Biden was caught calling a reported "a son of a bitch".
(With AP inputs)
