Clark says her management of the Peters' saga is " based on principle"

Helen Clark is a principled woman. At least, she says she believes she is. She says she has not been to soft on Peters

"Perhaps it tells you that I have been managing it in a way which is based on principle; which is that a man is going through a process, he's been stood aside from his job as happens in many employment situations of this kind, and we await the outcome.

So if she is awaiting the outcome of the privileges committee, why did she say Peters can keep his his ministerial warrants while the Serious Fraud Office, police and privileges committee conducted investigations, unless there was a "devastating reason" to immediately sack him?

Because she knows that despite whatever the privileges committee says, Peters will still keep his ministerial warrants because the SFO and police will not have completed their investigations before the election. Due process extends as far as the Prime Minster wants it to, which is why she's happy to use the SFO and police as political pawns to extend that process.

Nothing is a firing offence in this government unless it is politically expedient to do so.