Collapse averted

Irish government collapse averted as deputy PM resigns

General election off the cards after minister quits.

By KEN MURRAY

Ireland’s deputy prime minister, Frances Fitzgerald, resigned Tuesday in a move that looks to have saved Leo Varadkar’s government.

Fitzgerald, who also holds the enterprise, business and innovation portfolio, came under pressure over her handling of information about the treatment of a police whistleblower. Opposition parties told Prime Minister Varadkar to sack her, back her or persuade her to resign.

Fitzgerald’s departure from government also means that a general election is off the cards. A vote was looming, with two votes of no-confidence in the minister to be held in parliament Tuesday evening. The ruling Fine Gael party would have almost certainly lost those votes, which would have led to the collapse of the government. Fine Gael governs with support from the main opposition Fianna Fáil.

The crisis came to light after a series of emails revealed Fitzgerald, a former justice minister, was aware of a police strategy to discredit a member of the force at a public inquiry. The officer in question, Maurice McCabe, has been a prominent whistleblower on malpractice in recent years.

The emails showed that Fitzgerald knew of a plan to destroy McCabe’s reputation but failed to act on it.

The Irish government will take part in crucial talks on the Irish border and other Brexit issues with the EU and the British government at a European Council summit in Brussels in December.