‘SELFISH’ RESIGNATION ROCKS FINE GAEL BACKBENCHES
FINE GAEL backbenchers branded Minister Josepha Madigan’s decision to issue her retirement statement yesterday as ‘selfish’ – just a day after Simon Harris became the presumptive leader of the party.
Ms Madigan also confirmed she is resigning with immediate effect as Special Education Minister.
She is now the 11th Fine Gael representative to confirm they will not contest the next general election.
The Dublin Rathdown TD said she told Taoiseach Leo Varadkar last summer that she would not run again.
This comment was met with confusion within Fine Gael as Ms Madigan had recently sought the party’s nomination to stand in the Dublin constituency in the European elections.
She was seen by many as the choice of party headquarters, but she was resoundingly beaten, coming third to two senators.
Regina Doherty, the former social protection minister, and now leader of the party in the Seanad, won the nomination. Ms Madigan said she’d had ‘many conversations’ with Mr Varadkar about leaving her role since last summer but had not changed her mind. ‘I want to thank him for allowing me the time and space to reconsider my decision,’ she said. ‘This coming May, I will be a Fine Gael public representative for ten years.’ Ms Madigan said she backed Simon Harris as the next leader of Fine Gael. ‘I will be voting for Simon Harris to be the next leader of Fine Gael and Taoiseach,’ she said. Ms Madigan’s announcement was met with anger and shock within the wider parliamentary party. ‘I thought I would be floored this week by Leo, but oh my god, when she did that,’ said one member. But Mr Varadkar said: ‘She is easily one of the kindest and most empathetic politicians I know. Sometimes kindness in politics is seen as weakness. I believe it is one of her strengths.’