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Key developments:
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MacGregor goes on the attack
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Board member says Craig's stance against the Lochinver sale alienated Asian backers: "Mr Craig was the complication for them"
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Craig could be expelled this weekend
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Further embarrassment could lie ahead if letters and poems by Craig to MacGregor are released
If Colin Craig hoped his press conference yesterday would draw a line under the Rachel MacGregor controversy, he's out of luck.
His former press secretary last night took to Twitter to accuse Mr Craig of breaching a confidential settlement by speaking out.
Ms MacGregor also claimed the former Conservative leader was responsible for the events leading to her resignation on the eve of the election, tweeting "Colin Craig is trying to frame me as a mistress. There was never a sexual relationship, nor was there consent for his inappropriate actions."
She re-tweeted a post from Green Party's John Hart that drew a parallel with former Cera boss Roger Sutton staging a press conference while the subject of his advances remained bound by a confidentiality agreement, and another saying she had been victimised.
Ms MacGregor also released the following statement:
Colin Craig’s statement today, along with other public statements in recent days, breach a confidentially agreement that Mr Craig and I reached during a Human Rights Commission mediation.
Despite Mr Craig’s pubic [sic] comments I have been advised by my lawyers that I am still bound by the confidentiality agreement.
I am therefore unable to correct the clear factual inaccuracies contained in the statement Mr Craig made today without jeopardising my legal position. I am willing to correct those inaccuracies if Mr Craig confirms that he will not take legal action under the confidentiality agreement when I do so.
I am also willing to fully brief the Conservative Party Board on Mr Craig’s conduct but, again, this would require Mr Craig’s consent.
Until Mr Craig lifts confidentiality, I can make no further comments.
Mr Craig says he has not received any correspondence detailing inaccuracies with his version of events. He will meet his lawyers to discuss lifting the confidentiality obligations on Ms MacGregor.
Yesterday, with his wife by his side, Mr Craig framed his and Ms MacGregor's decision that their relationship was problematic as a mutual decision, saying "In hindsight, some of our behaviour was inappropriate and we have acknowledged that so we can both move on."
He said he’d agreed to pay an additional $16,000 to Ms MacGregor for work she’d done for the party on top of $20,000 that had been paid in advance.
In addition, $20,000 Mr Craig had lent Ms MacGregor interest-free to enable her settle a credit card debt had been “forgiven on compassionate grounds” at Ms MacGregor’s request.
"This is becoming a rolling tragedy for both the wider Colin Craig family and the Conservative Party. We're getting into Bill Clinton's semantics here," Conservative board member John Stringer said on Breakfast this morning.
Mr Craig had already breached the confidentiality agreement, Mr Stringer said, "So perhaps Ms MacGregor is released. It would be nice to hear her side of the story because Mr Craig seems to be implicating her by association."
Letters, poems signed by Craig
Yesterday, Mr Craig said he planned to write to grass roots members. If he found support he would consider a comeback as leader.
However, further complications could lie ahead.
Yesterday Mr Craig refused to answer questions about correspondence between himself and Ms MacGregor.
This morning, Mr Stringer said he had seen correspondence between the pair, including poems signed by Mr Craig.
Craig could be expelled
The board would meet shortly to discuss the situation, he said.
"Mr Craig might not be a member of the Conservative Party after the weekend," Mr Stringer said.
Craig alientated potential Asian backers, Stringer says
Asked how the party would bankroll itself in Mr Craig's absence, the board member said, "I understand there are Asian interests in New Zealand who are very interested in supporting us but Mr Craig was the complication for them. He was a hindrance to other people being involved. The Lochinver [sheep station] story he broke was very anti-Asian. It embarrassed a number of us on the board."
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