Leo Varadkar hopes to avoid vote of no confidence that could trigger Christmas election and weaken Brexit position

This article is more than 2 years old

This article is more than 2 years old

The Irish prime minister, Leo Varadkar, was holding emergency meetings on Tuesday to prevent a collapse of his administration that could precipitate a Christmas election and weaken his hand in Brexit talks.

Varadkar will meet the leader of the main opposition party, Fianna Fáil, hoping to avert a vote of no confidence on Tuesday evening over the deputy prime minister that could bring down the government and result in a general election.

Independent ministers in his minority government have also requested a meeting with Varadkar.

If Varadkar, leader of the Fine Gael party, is unable to reach a compromise over Frances Fitzgerald, who the opposition has called on to resign, Varadkar will face a no confidence vote in the Dáil at about 8pm.

The political crisis in Dublin deepened on Monday night when documents emerged that appeared to show Fitzgerald had been aware of a proposed smear campaign against a detective who warned of corruption in the Irish police force.

Documents released on Monday night from the Irish Department of Justice revealed Fitzgerald had received three emails about senior commanders in the Garda Síochána drawing up a strategy against the whistleblower.

In two of the emails sent to Fitzgerald in July 2015, when she was Ireland’s justice minister, she is advised about an “aggressive” approach being taken by a senior Garda officer against Sgt Maurice McCabe, the detective who claimed there was widespread corruption and malpractice in the force.

The new material has even prompted backbenchers in her own Fine Gael party to call for Fitzgerald to step down from the cabinet to prevent the no confidence vote and the government collapsing.

Quick guide Ireland's political parties Show Hide Fine Gael Forged in the Irish civil war as the side that accepted the Anglo-Irish Treaty of 1921, Fine Gael has a centre-right, pro-market and pro-European outlook. The party has two distinctive wings: a socially liberal, urban and professional base, and a rural grassroots following with strong links to the farming community. Fianna Fáil Initially comprising opponents of the Anglo-Irish treaty, Fianna Fáil is also seen as centre right. It dominated Irish politics for much of the 20th century and used to enjoy a predominantly working-class membership. An archetypal pragmatic political force, the party now has strong links to builders and property investors. Sinn Féin Once umbilically linked to the Provisional IRA, Sinn Féin has benefited enormously from the Irish peace process, with Gerry Adams and Martin McGuinness becoming internationally renowned political figures. The party takes a populist and pragmatic approach to economic issues. Photograph: Niall Carson/PA

Speaking on the Irish language station on RTE radio this morning, the Fine Gael TD Hildegarde Naughton said it was difficult to see how Fitzgerald could remain as deputy prime minister. Two independent ministers in the coalition – Shane Ross and Finian McGrath – are to raise their “deep concerns” about Fitzgerald’s position during their proposed meeting with the taoiseach on Tuesday morning.

Following the disclosure of the emails from the Department of Justice in Dublin, senior Fianna Fáil sources were adamant that Varadkar had “absolutely no choice” but to sack Fitzgerald, despite the Fine Gael party rallying around the embattled deputy prime minister at the weekend.

Fianna Fáil keeps the minority government in power with a confidence and supply arrangement in the Dáil.

Fitzgerald has so far remained defiant, telling an Irish Sunday newspaper at the weekend that she would not submit to “summary justice” and resign over a matter that was subject to a ongoing public tribunal in Dublin. Opinion polls over the weekend suggest the Irish public has no appetite for a snap pre-Christmas election.

There is also concern about Varadkar going into the crucial European summit on Brexit negotiations that will take place just a week before polling day if the government falls in Dublin on Tuesday evening.

The taoiseach’s steering of Ireland’s position on Brexit and the issue of the Irish border might be weakened if he faced the prospect of losing office within a week of the negotiations.

