As an MEP, Clare Daly is not permitted to employ close relatives

Clare Daly, a Dublin MEP, has appointed her former husband as a publicly paid assistant. Michael Murphy, who has been separated from Daly for several years, is now listed on her European parliament webpage as a “service provider”. He is based in Ireland and provides research for Daly.

MEPs are not permitted to employ “close relatives”, which are defined by the parliament as “spouses or stable non-marital partners” or “parents, children, brothers or sisters”.

Neither Murphy nor Daly responded to multiple queries last week. It is not known if they are still married or have divorced.

Last summer, Daly defended hiring Fionn Wallace, a son of her fellow Independents4Change MEP Mick Wallace, as one of her “accredited” assistants, who need to be based in Brussels