Labour exile Chris Carter off to Kabul

Relevant offers

Politics

Treaty obligations to stay in SOE sales law McCully email thief could be Kiwi PSA disappointed Key won't discuss cuts Delays in privatising ACC work account No background checks on Education ministry staff Labour fears for Kiwis in ministry shake-up Defence staff eye leaving as morale falls No run on Kiwi farms - Key Crown account deficit soars Maori Party warns Government over SOE sales

Expelled Labour MP Chris Carter is leaving New Zealand to tackle corruption in war-torn Afghanistan.

Te Atatu MP Carter is to take up a post in Kabul with the United Nations. He has previously said he would leave parliament at the election.

It's understood Carter is to quit next week before flying out that weekend.

His departure won't force a by-election because it is less than three months to the November 26 election.

Prime Minister John Key said he heard about the appointment last night.

"Kabul can be a bit of rough place," he said. "Good luck out there."

Carter was booted out of Labour last year for plotting against Labour leader Phil Goff and is now an independent MP. Before that he was demoted for using his ministerial credit card to buy personal items.

Goff said: "I'd wish anybody going to Kabul well, but what he does is his affair."

He didn't give Carter a job reference. "He didn't ask and I wouldn't have given one."

Carter must quit before he leaves, he said. "It's common sense. No-one accepts two salaries. If you've got a job and it's a paying job, you resign. I imagine that's what he'll do."

Asked if former Prime Minister Helen Clark , now UN development programme administrator  in New York, lined up the job , Goff said: ''Well I don't know that that's happened. I'm not sure how he's got the job.''

Carter has not resigned from Parliament and is not on leave.

"At the moment Chris Carter is still the MP for Te Atatu," a spokeswoman for Speaker Lockwood Smith said.

"At the stage he'll be back in the House on Tuesday. We're definitely expecting him in the House next week."

Carter had not been in touch with the Speaker's office about leaving but they were aware of media reports, she said.

They received an application for leave from him but it had not been followed up so they assumed it was no longer needed.

Smith "would not support" Carter taking another job without resigning from Parliament, the spokeswoman said.

"That would be double dipping and I don't think the Speaker would support that."

Carter could not be reached for comment.

- © Fairfax NZ News