Jacinda Ardern Subtly Calls The Opposition Leader A 'Karen' During Fiery Question Time

Jacinda Ardern has come out flying against her Opposition leader during a fiery exchange in Parliament during Question Time.

Political barbs are often traded across the floor with smug looks and are backed up by heckling and chuckling from the politician's supporters.

However, the New Zealand Prime Minister went where no other leader has gone before. She dropped the K word.

During a debate about the country's proposed hate speech laws, Ms Ardern set the record straight on whether you'd be able to go to jail for calling someone a Karen online.

While the idea sounds ludicrous, Opposition leader Judith Collins seemed pretty concerned about the possibility and asked on Twitter this week: "Will calling a middle-aged white woman a 'Karen' now be a crime under Jacinda Ardern's law?"

Ms Ardern's Labor government has been looking at increasing the punishments for people who incite or normalise hatred, which was a recommendation from the Royal Commission into the Christchurch terror attack.

While many people would welcome harsher penalties for online trolls, Ms Collins is worried about where the line will be drawn and whether people could be slapped with a fine or end up in jail for a minor insult.

That brings us to yesterday's fiery Question Time.

When the topic of the proposed hate speech laws came up, Ms Ardern wasted no time in reassuring the Opposition leader that people would still be able to use the Karen slur without being punished.

But she also threw in a thinly veiled dig at Ms Collins.

"I also disagree with that statement, and I also, as it happens, disagree with the Member's statement on Twitter that somehow it will become illegal to call someone a 'Karen'," the Prime Minister said in Parliament.

"That is absolutely incorrect and I apologise. That means these laws will not protect that Member from such a claim."

The Parliament erupted in laughter at the political banter and Ms Collins paused for a moment.

She said she wanted a chance to lob another barb back to Ms Ardern's way but insisted it was 'too cruel'. Eventually she just had to sit back down and cop the moment in all its glory.

Topics: New Zealand

Stewart Perrie

Stewart Perrie is a Trending Journalist at LADbible. His first job was as a newsreader and journalist at the award winning Sydney radio station, Macquarie Radio. He was solely responsible for the content broadcast on multiple stations across Australia when the MH17, Germanwings and AirAsia disasters unfolded. Stewart has covered the conflict in Syria for LADbible, interviewing a doctor on the front line, and has contributed to the hugely successful UOKM8 campaign.

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