Since Ardern took office in October, her partner, Clarke Gayford, a television fishing presenter, has been subjected to increasingly vicious innuendo and gossip on rightwing blogs, social media and through word of mouth. On Wednesday, the police commissioner, Mike Bush, issued a press release stating that Gayford is not, nor has never been, subject to a police inquiry. The prime minister has refused to comment on what she called “dirty politics”. A New Zealand Herald investigation found no evidence that the rumours held any substance. No other spouse of a New Zealand prime minister had faced the same level of scrutiny and criticism that Gayford had endured during Ardern’s first six months in office, said Edwards.

Source: The Guardian May 02, 2018 02:22 UTC