Collapse of Irish government averted as deputy PM resigns
Ireland’s deputy prime minister Frances Fitzgerald has claimed she resigned over her handling of a whistleblower scandal to avoid an “unwelcome and potentially destabilising” snap election.
In a move that salvaged the minority government, the former Tanaiste said she had acted with integrity and responsibility throughout her political career.
Mrs Fitzgerald said yesterday she was putting the national interest ahead of her personal reputation.
“It has been the greatest honour of my life to serve in government, but I believe it is necessary to take this decision to avoid an unwelcome and potentially destabilising general election at this historically critical time,” she said in a statement. “I have always believed in fairness and equality and these principles have guided my work.”
Just hours after announcing her resignation, Mrs Fitzgerald sent a clear message to her opponents that she was not going away for good after putting herself forward as a candidate in the next general election at a convention in Finnstown Castle, Dublin, last night.
The scandal surrounding Mrs Fitzgerald revolves around her knowledge of an aggressive legal strategy against a respected Garda officer during a private inquiry in 2015. And it threatened the fragile agreement that has led opposition party Fianna Fail to prop up Taoiseach Leo Varadkar’s minority government.
The fallout has cast a long shadow over December’s key Brexit summit.