Labour leader Jacinda Ardern's partner Clarke Gayford stands up for her

Labour leader Jacinda Ardern's partner has lashed out at the "scaremongering old dinos" taking a swipe at his love.

Clarke Gayford posted to Twitter this morning in response to an article by Richard Prebble titled: Reasons not to vote for Jacinda.

He suggested the author needed to crawl into Finance Minister Steven Joyce's imaginary $11billion hole.

As a partner its bloody hard to face some of this rubbish.Scaremongering old dinos like R Prebble need to crawl into SJ's imaginary 11b hole

— Clarke Gayford (@NZClarke) September 6, 2017

The article contained cutting comments on Labour's tax policies, personality politics and its relationship with the Green Party. Author Prebble is a former Labour Cabinet minister who later led the right-wing Act Party.

"A 37-year-old who has never had a real job, any real life experience and has had an undistinguished parliamentary career is not ready to be Prime Minister," Prebble wrote.

"As President Trump daily proves, ability to do TV sound bites is not proof you can govern."

In response to Gayford's tweet Prebble said he had "total sympathy" for the partners of MPs.

"He is right, it is tough reading criticism of the person you love. I invite people to read the article and form their own view.

"I may be an old dino but that does not mean I am wrong."

Labour Party leader Jacinda Ardern with partner Clarke Gayford at their Pt Chevalier home. Doug Sherring

Gayford and Ardern met three years ago when Gayford wrote her a letter expressing his concern about the potential erosion of privacy posed by the Government Communications Security Bureau Amendment Bill.

Gayford occasionally tweets about the effect Ardern's job has on him, or the effect he has on it.

When Labour surged ahead of National in the August 31 1News Colmar Brunton poll Gayford was underwater, just like he was the day Ardern was announced as leader.

The poll showed Labour had risen 6 points to 43 per cent, and National had fallen three points to 41 per cent.

This is me today in 800m of water as the tide literally turned in the Pacific.
Seems like every time I'm underwater good things happen... pic.twitter.com/D16Eb3fyfT

— Clarke Gayford (@NZClarke) August 31, 2017

Have been underwater filming all day off Sunshine Coast, I miss anything? pic.twitter.com/GRONJ1uGZf

— Clarke Gayford (@NZClarke) August 1, 2017

Ardern is in Rotorua and in a media stand-up was told of her partner's tweet.

"Did he now?" She said. "He has been interested in politics long before he met me."

Asked about Prebble's comments, she said she would be surprised if the former politician was coming out in favour of her.

"We are in the heat of a campaign. Things like that will be thrown around by commentators and people who have been in politics in the past. It doesn't particularly worry me."