Louth TD Peter Fitzpatrick has attacked Taoiseach Leo Varadkar for isolating him since becoming leader in his resignation statement from Fine Gael.
In statements released on Monday, Mr Fitzpatrick’s departure, which was not unexpected, was confirmed.
Mr Varadkar has expressed his sorrow at the decision of Mr Fitzpatrick who has resigned from the party.
In his statement, Mr Fitzpatrick made a direct attack on Mr Varadkar for not supporting him properly since becoming Taoiseach.
As a result of his resignation, the stability of the minority government has been thrown into question as Mr Fitzpatrick’s support can no longer be guaranteed.
In his statement, Mr Fitzpatrick said he did not feel sufficiently supported by his party colleagues over the past 15 months.
On Twitter, he wrote: “The decision to resign from Fine Gael was a difficult decision to make.
“I have given 100% commitment during my time as a member of the party and have always been a team player. I backed the party when some very difficult decision had to be taken, even when I did not agree with the party I always supported them.
“Unfortunately, over the past 15 months I have not been given the same support from Fine Gael as I had given them. My views were not always listened to and I felt isolated within the party itself,” Mr Fitzpatrick said.
Press release pic.twitter.com/7NEIZ0ZKXo
— Peter Fitzpatrick (@PFitzpatrickTD) October 1, 2018
In response, Mr Varadkar said: “I am sorry to hear that Peter Fitzpatrick TD has decided to resign from the Fine Gael Parliamentary Party. I know that he has been unhappy for some time and was a strong opponent of holding a referendum on the Eighth Amendment.”
“I spoke to Peter a few weeks ago when he decided not to seek a nomination to contest the next General Election as a Fine Gael candidate. At the time, he confirmed that he would continue to sit, act and vote as a Fine Gael TD until the end of his mandate. I regret that he has since changed his mind.”
“Fine Gael is confident that it will retain its two seats in the Louth constituency. Cllr John McGahon has been selected to run alongside Fergus O’Dowd TD,” the Taoiseach said.
Last week, Mr Fitzpatrick’s unhappiness surfaced as did his intention to resign the whip. A staunch pro-life TD, Mr Fitzpatrick took an alternative stance to the abortion referendum from the party leadership.
He was one of three TDs who sat on the Oireachtas Committee on the Eighth Amendment to produce a minority report from the rest of the members who recommended a liberalisation of the country’s abortion laws.
The country subsequently passed by overwhelming majority in a referendum in May their proposals.
Born in May 1962, Mr Fitzpatrick was first elected to the Dáil in 2011. He is a former manager of the Louth GAA football team.
