The Taoiseach and the Tánaiste have both come out in support of embattled Dun Laoghaire Fine Gael TD, Maria Bailey.

Speaking at the end of an EU leaders' summit in Brussels, Leo Varadkar was asked for his views of local efforts to remove her as a Fine Gael general election candidature. The motion in the Blackrock district of Fine Gael - a unit within Ms Bailey's Dun Laoghaire constituency - was deferred to a later date.

The Taoiseach and Fine Gael leader repeated that he had confidence in Ms Maria Bailey.

But he was less than enthusiastic about the prospect of canvasing with her if she fends off local efforts to remove her from the election ticket.

Mr Varadkar said Ms Bailey had made significant errors of judgement regarding her personal injury claim. But she had been disciplined for that and demoted by losing her chairwomanship of the Oireachtas Housing Committee. He said Ms Bailey remained a candidate for the next general election.

"But Fine Gael is a democratic party and our member do decide who their candidates are and we have to respect that," the Taoiseach said.

Mr Varadkar said he would canvass with any properly chosen and confirmed Fine Gael candidate. But he avoided saying he would go on the hustings with Ms Bailey in Dun Laoghaire.

Meanwhile, Tánaiste Simon Coveney said Ms Bailey had paid a "very heavy price for making a mistake" and would "desperately like to rewind the clock".

Mr Coveney defended the swing-gate TD, saying she "should be allowed to move on".

Ms Bailey took a personal injury claim against Dublin's Dean Hotel after a fall from a swing in 2015.

She dropped the legal action in May amid the storm of controversy over the case.

An internal Fine Gael report into Ms Bailey's claim found her affidavit "overstated the impact of her injuries".

On foot of the report Ms Bailey was removed as chairperson of the Oireachtas Housing Committee, worth €9,500-a-year by Taoiseach Leo Varadkar.

Ms Bailey was a key supporter of Mr Coveney's unsuccessful bid for the Fine Gael leadership in 2017.

The Tánaiste was asked about the motion of no confidence in Ms Bailey by RTÉ Radio One's Seán O'Rouke.

He said the motion failed but Mr O'Rourke pointed out that it had been deferred.

Mr Coveney went on to defend Ms Bailey.

He said: "Maria Bailey is somebody who has paid a very, very heavy price for making a mistake and she continues to pay that price."

He added that she is "a very hard-working TD" who has been selected to represent Fine Gael in the next election.

"She’s looking to rebuild her political career is working extraordinarily hard to do that," he said.

Mr Coveney said "there is a need for fairness here" but also that "when people makes mistakes – particularly in politics of course there’s a consequence for that."

Read More

Fine Gael had a "detailed internal investigation" which resulted in the Taoiseach taking disciplinary action.

"I would encourage people to have some sense of fair play here in terms of proportionality as regards the consequences of Maria’s decisions for her.

"They have taken an extraordinary toll on her personally and her family and her place in politics.

"I think that when disciplinary action is taken, when consequences have been faced up to, there is at some point surely an opportunity to allow a person to move on," Mr Coveney added.

He said "politics a tough business and the electorate of course ultimately will have their say.

"The Maria Bailey I know is somebody who desperately would like to rewind the clock on some of the choices she made, has paid an extraordinary price for a mistake, and is trying to move on with both her political career and her life."

Read More

Online Editors