FG may delay replacing Maria Bailey on Dun Laoghaire election ticket

Fine Gael may decide to delay the selection of a replacement for Maria Bailey on the Dun Laoghaire general election ticket.

FG may delay replacing Maria Bailey on Dun Laoghaire election ticket

Fine Gael may decide to delay the selection of a replacement for Maria Bailey on the Dun Laoghaire general election ticket.

It is expected that the swing-gate TD will be dropped as an election candidate at the next meeting of the national executive after members in her constituency passed a motion calling to "urgently review" the ticket and to make "any changes necessary in order to improve the party's prospect" in any national ballot.

While the motion did not mention any candidates by name, many who spoke at the meeting last week made it clear that it did not relate to Minister of State for Higher Education Mary Mitchell O'Connor or councillor Barry Ward who have also been selected to run in the four-seat constituency.

The pressure is now on Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and those in party HQ who have the final say on whether to accept the outcome of the motion or ignore it.

Fine Gael has been significantly damaged by the controversy which has rumbled on since before the local and European elections in May.

While Ms Bailey was stripped of her role as chair of the Oireachtas Housing Committee following an internal inquiry into her claim, some within Fine Gael remain unhappy that Mr Varadkar did not take more severe action on the matter.

The party's national executive are due to meet on November 12 where they are now likely to accept the ruling of members in Dun Laoghaire.

Former ministerial adviser Jennifer Carroll MacNeill, who is a sitting councillor, and fellow local councillor Lorraine Hall have both been tipped as replacement candidates and could be selected at next week's meeting.

Ms Carroll MacNeill, who also worked as a lawyer for the party, is being promoted by many in Fine Gael as she is best placed geographically in the Shankill area of the constituency which Ms Bailey also covers.

However, those in Fine Gael headquarters may not immediately replace Ms Bailey or could decide to leave it as a two-candidate card.

Some within the party believe that Fine Gael HQ may wish to carry out local polling before reaching this decision.

Since the constituency ballot, Ms Bailey has refused to indicate whether she will step aside herself and said she would not be making comment as it is an "internal matter".

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