Grant Robertson The gay deputy of the Labour party is one of only two names being seriously mentioned around Parliament as a successor to leader David Shearer who resigned this afternoon. Grant Robertson, who is also the MP for Wellington Central, was elected deputy leader by the Labour caucus following the 2011 general election when then-leader Phil Goff stood down to be replaced by Shearer. At the time he was elected deputy leader only Robertson and David Cunliffe, who had also been a front-runner to become leader, were seriously in the running for deputy. Only two other names are being mentioned but appear to be very dark horses... ex-party president Andrew Little MP is considered a possibility and MP Shane Jones has said he might throw his hat into the ring. Robertson this evening said David Shearer's announcement is still too fresh to be making any decisions about standing for the leader's position. "We've only just heard this information today, this announcement today. I think everybody's going to want to take some time to reflect and then we'll make decisions after that," he told reporters. If he is elected Robertson will become the first gay person to lead a political party in New Zealand. Robertson has a background in foreign affairs and is currently Labour's Spokesperson for Employment, Skills
Credit: GayNZ.com Daily News staff
First published: Thursday, 22nd August 2013 - 7:39pm