'We've never gone quite that far' - TV gaffe leaves MPs in awkward ...

An awkward encounter between National’s Erica Stanford and suspended transport minister Michael Wood led to an uncomfortable watch on the AM Show.

During a segment on Friday morning, discussion centred around the former transport minister’s failure to sell his Auckland Airport shares in a timely manner.

However, the end of the interview stole the show when National Party MP Erica Stanford made an unintended insinuation when discussing the scandal’s effect on Prime Minister Chris Hipkins.

“It’s important that the Prime Minister has trust in his ministers because in the end, ministers serve at the pleasure of the Prime Minister, and actually of late the Prime Minister has not been placed in a pleasurable position ... certainly by Michael,” Stanford said.

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The accidental innuendo sparked awkward laughter as Wood quickly cleared the air.

“We do have a good and close collegial relationship, but we’ve never gone quite that far,” Wood said.

AM Show/Supplied

Awkward laughter ensued after National MP Erica Stanford’s comment about former transport minister Michael Wood failing to put the Prime Minister in a pleasurabe position.

Earlier in the segment, Wood, who was stood down from his transport portfolio over the airport shares controversy, compared his failure to sell his shares to a household chore that he had been procrastinating.

“Imagine you’re at home and there’s a job that you’ve got to do around the house, maybe it’s a little hole in the roof or an outdoor light bulb or something.

“You know you’ve got to do it, it’s on your list, every weekend you sort of think I should get on to that and other stuff keeps coming up, and you never get there.”

He maintained there were no excuses for his delayed action on selling the shares, saying he took responsibility for his actions.

“This is an issue that I really profoundly regret, for me being in politics is a real calling and politics is about making life better for people and so this episode arising and giving an impression that it might be about other stuff is something that really cuts to the core for me,” Wood said.

Since the controversy which saw Wood stood down as transport minister, the MP has sold just over 1500 shares (worth an estimated $13,000) in Auckland Airport that he bought as a teen.