Private eye's tale 'fanciful' [+audio]

Labour Party president Mike Williams

Labour is dismissing as fanciful suggestions by an Auckland private eye who has been tailing Prime Minister Helen Clark that he is about to reveal a potentially shocking story.

Yesterday, the Herald on Sunday and the Sunday Star-Times carried interviews with investigator Lew Proctor, who said he had been hired by a member of the Exclusive Brethren to tail senior Labour Party figures.

He told the Herald on Sunday revelations would be made this week, a comment which led the Prime Minister to respond that Mr Proctor's comments were close to blackmail.

Mr Proctor could not be contacted yesterday.

Helen Clark said today it was "pretty creepy" to hear claims she is being followed by private detectives, but she isn't worried about anything they might find out about her.

"My life's an open book," she told TV One. "I don't think there's anything more people could know about me."

Labour Party president Mike Williams said he was not concerned about Mr Proctor's claims. "I have no concerns whatsoever. So far the shock revelations have come to nothing."

Mr Williams said he would be staggered if Mr Proctor's purported scandal was as shocking as he claimed. He also dismissed as "fantasy" Mr Proctor's claim that most of Auckland's private investigators had worked for the Labour Party at some point.

"I don't know where he gets his information from, but I can tell you the Labour Party has neither the resources nor the desire to hire private detectives ... This is some-one's fevered imagination."

Nor was the Prime Minister concerned about the claims, a spokeswoman said. They would be confronted when or if Mr Proctor made them public.

Mr Proctor also criticised the Diplomatic Protection Squad, elite officers who escort the Prime Minister and high-ranking visitors, saying he was amazed that squad members had not spotted that the VIP they were assigned to was being followed.

The police would not comment.

On his allegations against the Diplomatic Protection Squad, Helen Clark said: "He may or may not have reasons to level allegations at police. For seven years I've had the protection of the DPS, they've done a wonderful job and I'm not prepared to see them pilloried by someone who at this point has shown no credibility at all."

Mr Proctor told the Herald on Sunday he had subcontracted Dunedin private eye Wayne Idour for his investigation.

Two weeks ago, Mr Idour said he had been hired by a go-between, acting on behalf of an Exclusive Brethren member, to follow MPs.

Brethren leader Greg Mason said Mr Proctor would not have been hired by the church, which did not engage in such activities.

Additional reporting: NZPA