Australian broadcaster Alan Jones has apologised to Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern for his tirade against her after she criticised Australia's stance on climate change at the Pacific Islands Forum in Tuvalu this week.
Jones told his audience on Sydney's 2GB radio on Thursday morning that Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison should "shove a sock down her throat".
That followed Ms Ardern's warning that Australia "will have to answer to the Pacific" on climate change.
Jones copped widespread criticism for his remarks, including from Mr Morrison who said they were "disappointing" and "way out of line".
After doubling down on his attack again this morning, Jones later phoned into the station to reveal he has written to Ms Ardern to apologise.
"My attention has been drawn to the fact that the comments that I made have given offence. Now when that happens I have no difficulty apologising," he said.
"Earlier today I did write to the New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and amongst other things I said, as I say to all of these people, I would never wish her any harm and I would always wish her the best," he said.
"My comments nonetheless were careless and they should have been, I think, more clearly thought. And to that extent I have erred and made a mistake. Now when you do that you've got to be man enough to simply say 'I was wrong and I apologise.' I have done that to her several hours ago.
"I'm not in a position to know whether I've heard from here and that doesn't matter anyway. All I wanted her to know is that the words that I said were careless, they were unnecessary, they were avoidable. And in this game you've got to choose your words carefully. And I didn't do that," Jones said.
Ms Ardern told reporters in Tuvalu on Thursday night she wouldn't give Jones' criticisms "the light of day" and thought she would "leave it where it is".
The broadcaster partially walked back from his comments after he made them on Thursday, saying in a statement he had meant to say Scott Morrison should tell Ms Ardern to "put a sock in it".
He said in that statement he had been misinterpreted, and while saying he "would not wish any harm to Jacinda Ardern" he did not apologise at that point.
This morning on air Jones repeated his comments that "Jacinda Ardern has no idea what she's talking about".
This time he called her a "hypocrite" and "gormless", local media reported.
"She has duplicitously excluded agriculture, New Zealand's primary source of greenhouse gas emissions," he said.
"I used the language earlier on and, forgive it, but this is the farting and burping livestock, 50 per cent. So when is Jacinda Ardern going to start culling the dairy herds in New Zealand?"
Jones today also read out messages of support from listeners, including one he claimed was from "a very prominent female political figure" who said, "Alan don't worry, I haven't met a man more supportive of women."
Delivering his apology later, Jones did not repeat any of the words he had used to criticise Ms Ardern.
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