“We will not allow the opposition bully us.”
The Fine Gael party have rowed in behind Frances Fitzgerald in the wake of a motion of no confidence in the Tánaiste having been tabled by Sinn Féin this week.
Sinn Féin tabled the motion of no confidence in Fitzgerald on Thursday afternoon following confusion over when exactly the Tánaiste became aware of the Gardaí's alleged legal strategy to question Sergeant Maurice McCabe's credibility.
A more detailed explanation of the events which led to the Sinn Féin motion of no confidence can be read
here.
The motion of no confidence was followed by
confirmation from Fianna Fáil's Justice Spokesperson Jim O'Callaghan that the party would not be voting with the government on the motion of no confidence next week.
Despite fears that the divide over the issue might trigger a general election in the near future, Fine Gael have come out fighting on Fitzgerald’s behalf,
issuing a statement on Thursday night declaring that they wouldn’t be bullied by the opposition and labelling the actions of Sinn Féin and Fianna Fáil as “a political stunt, pure and simple”.
“The Fine Gael parliamentary party unanimously passed a motion tonight to stand firmly behind Tánaiste Frances Fitzgerald,” the statement read.
“At a meeting in Leinster House tonight, the party heard from An Taoiseach and Fine Gael leader Leo Varadkar who said their colleague Minister Frances Fitzgerald was facing a trumped up charge from the opposition.
“The meeting agreed Fine Gael does not want a General Election.
“The Government has a lot of work ahead on which it needs to focus. Several Bills have yet to pass through the Oireachtas including; the Finance Bill, the FEMPI Bill and the Social Welfare Bill.
“There is a major Brexit Summit scheduled for next month. Brexit is one of the biggest challenges facing the country in decades and Fine Gael is firmly focussed on this process.”
Parliamentary Party Chairman Martin Heydon said after the meeting: “What we have seen from both Sinn Féin and Fianna Fáil today is a political stunt, pure and simple. We will not allow the opposition bully us.
“Sinn Féin is attempting to undermine the work of the Charleton Tribunal which was set up by the Fine Gael led Government to investigate the treatment of Maurice McCabe and get to the bottom of whether or not there was a campaign against him – the same Charleton Tribunal that the opposition agreed to in the first place.
“History shows that Fine Gael adheres to due process and has respect for natural justice. Fine Gael stands fully and united behind the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise and Innovation, Frances Fitzgerald.”
