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Retiring Tauranga MP Bob Clarkson's feud with NZ First leader Winston Peters may be heading to the courts again.
Mr Clarkson ousted Mr Peters from the seat in 2005 in a bitter campaign which ended up in the courts with Mr Peters losing an electoral petition to overturn the result.
The pair regularly clashed in Parliament and The Dominion Post reported today that Mr Clarkson is threatening to sue Mr Peters for claiming in two local speeches that the National MP brought failed finance company Blue Chip Finance to Tauranga, which he denies.
"He's saying that I brought Blue Chip Finance to Tauranga, and therefore I'm responsible for all the losses and all the houses in Tauranga, and there's millions of dollars. The point is I did not. They were here two years before I knew them.
"All they did was sponsored my stadium and only paid half the bill. It's getting real serious now. I'm a bit pissed off."
Mr Clarkson said he intended to send Mr Peters a legal letter within the next two days demanding an apology, then he would consider suing him.
A spokesman for Mr Peters said the reference was to the fact Mr Clarkson had named his stadium Blue Chip Stadium.
"He can complain all he likes, but he changed the name of the stadium that he owned to Blue Chip Stadium and put it in headlines around the community, so that's what the reference is to."
Mr Peters is fighting to reclaim the seat, facing National's new candidate, Simon Bridges.
- NZPA
