New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern apologised Wednesday for her party’s handling of an alleged sexual assault, as a top ally was forced to resign. In the most serious scandal Ardern has faced since she took office in late 2017, the centre-left leader admitted “mistakes were made” after a Labour Party volunteer accused a senior party staffer of assault last year. “Raising an allegation of sexual assault is an incredibly difficult thing to do — for additional distress to be caused through the way these allegations are handled is incredibly distressing,” Ardern said in a statement.
