Curran again denies links to Dotcom

Clare Curran.
Clare Curran.
Dunedin South MP Clare Curran has again been forced to deny she is the electorate MP aligned with Kim Dotcom's Internet Party.

Ms Curran was originally outed as an MP who had visited the internet mogul but in her role as Labour's associate ICT spokeswoman, she could have been seen as just doing her job.

Speculation has abounded about Mr Dotcom's claims he has signed up an electorate MP to stand for his party in the September 20 election.

Justice Minister Judith Collins is the latest to suggest Ms Curran was that electorate MP but when approached by the Otago Daily Times with the question, Ms Curran replied: ''Judith Collins, don't you just love her?''

''I can categorically state 'it's not me'. I have been confirmed as the Labour candidate in Dunedin South.

''Can you imagine the constituents of Dunedin South hearing Clare Curran was standing for the Internet Party. The what?''

Ms Curran said she was ''tribal Labour'' and warned any electorate MP would be ill-advised to believe he or she could gain enough votes in their own capacity to win an electorate for the Internet Party.

National Party Dunedin South spokeswoman Robyn Broughton said National would open its nominations on April 19 to select a candidate to stand in the electorate.

Jo Hayes, the candidate at the last election, was now a list MP in Parliament and had indicated she wanted to stand in Wairarapa.

Ms Broughton did not believe National was leaving its selection late as Ms Hayes did not start campaigning at the last election until mid-June and won the party vote.

''We will have interest in the selection and I am sure we will have a robust selection process.

''We are using last election as a base and intend building on that,'' Ms Broughton said.

dene.mackenzie@odt.co.nz

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