Several female MPs were ordered to leave the New Zealand parliament on Wednesday after their declarations that they had been victims of sexual assault were ruled out of order by the Speaker.

The women’s intervention came after prime minister John Key on Tuesday accused opposition Labour and Green MPs of “backing the rapists” in a row over the detention of New Zealanders by the Australian government.

On Wednesday, Green party co-leader Metiria Turei told the Speaker that as a survivor of sexual violence she was deeply offended by Key’s remarks: “As the victim of a sexual assault, I take personal offence at the prime minister’s comments, and ask that you require him to withdraw and apologise.”

Her comments were echoed by Green MP Catherine Delahunty, who was told by the Speaker to stop and sit back down.

When other female MPS, including Labour’s Nanaia Mahuta, Clare Curran and Megan Woods, along with Green MP Marama Davidson repeated the call for Key to apologise with reference to their own assaults, Carter ordered them to stop, saying they were “flouting the rules” by claiming to make points of order.