Labour denies hiring private eyes to go through Nats' rubbish

The Labour Party has denied a private detectives claim it hired private investigators to follow National Party MPs and scour their rubbish bins.

The private detective, Wayne Idour, made the retaliatory allegations after he was exposed as being hired by the Exclusive Brethren to dig dirt on Prime Minister Helen Clark and colleagues.

In an interview last night on TV3's Campbell Live, Mr Idour said he and a colleague had been hired by a member of the Exclusive Brethren religious group to uncover illegal activities committed by Labour MPs.

But Mr Idour went on to claim Labour supporters had also hired private eyes to spy on National MPs.

The investigators "have been through Dr Brash's rubbish as well as John Key's and I don't know who else".

He said he had good information someone in the Labour Party had hired an investigator to target Dr Brash and Mr Key for several months.

They had also tailed Brethren members to find out where they went and who they met.

Mr Idour said he had not spoken directly to the detectives but knew the firm involved.

Another detective had also told him he was approached to do the job and had turned it down, he said.

"This thing has got very dirty."

But Miss Clark told NZPA Mr Idour's claim in relation to Labour was "a complete concoction and fiction by a man who yesterday would not tell the truth about his activities".

She denied the claim and also doubted any Labour members or supporters may have acted informally.

"I'd be amazed, surprised. I just don't believe it."

Labour Party president Mike Williams also issued a swift denial, saying Labour "completely rejects" Mr Idour's claims.

Mr Idour owned up to investigating Labour MPs a day after denying any involvement.

The Dunedin detective said he had effectively been a subcontractor for another private investigator, who had been the one who actually dealt with a member of the secretive religious sect.

Among the Labour targets of investigations were Miss Clark, her husband Peter Davis, Deputy Prime Minister Michael Cullen and Cabinet ministers David Benson-Pope and David Parker.

Miss Clark accused the Exclusive Brethren of "scumbag politics" while the National Party also distanced itself from the secretive sect, which offered National support at the last election, condemning its actions as "deplorable".

The prime minister immediately linked the Brethren's activities to Investigate magazine, which has targeted Dr Davis with rumours about his sexuality, as well as Labour ministers David Benson-Pope and David Parker.

Dr Davis has firmly denied the rumours and says he has been appalled at the way the media has treated the matter.

Investigate editor Ian Wishart last night contacted NZPA to deny he had ever received any information from the Exclusive Brethren.

Wishart said he had previously accounted for all his investigations into Labour MPs, and the Exclusive Brethren had not contributed in any way.

"I wouldn't know an Exclusive Brethren person if I fell over one," he said.

"It's a prime ministerial conspiracy theory and a baseless one."

Mr Idour hinted that he and his colleague had uncovered damaging information not yet made public, including information about the prime minister and Dr Davis, but Miss Clark said she was not concerned.

The information Exclusive Brethren members had produced so far -- namely the false rumours about her husband -- was weak, she said.

"There was not a shred of truth in that. If that's the quality of their information then there would be very little to be worried about."

National deputy leader Gerry Brownlee last night said National had nothing to do with the Brethren's actions.

"It's absolutely deplorable. There is no place for this in New Zealand politics," he told NZPA.

Such activities merely invaded MPs' family lives for little gain.

"I cannot condemn this more strongly. This has been a most unsavoury turn in New Zealand politics."

Mr Brownlee said Mr Key had caught someone looking through his rubbish during the election campaign last year, but the party believed at the time it was probably someone looking for details of National's closely held tax policy.

He was not aware of other incidents.

Since the election Exclusive Brethren members have been frequent visitors to Parliament, watching from the public gallery on most sitting days.

- NZPA