Fine Gael TD Maria Bailey has been removed from the party's election ticket following a meeting of the executive council this evening.
In a statement, Ms Bailey said she was "disappointed" with the decision to be deselected to contest the next general election in the Dún Laoghaire constituency.
She added that she had raised "serious issues" regarding the procedures of a meeting in the constituency.
— Maria Bailey TD (@MariaBaileyFG) November 14, 2019
Speaking today, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said he was confident that Fine Gael conducted itself properly in the deselection of Deputy Bailey.
He said: "I very much appreciate that this is a very difficult personally for Deputy Bailey.
"It's never a nice thing to be deselected as an election candidate - I can understand how she must be feeling at the moment."
Deputy Bailey's deselection follows her demotion earlier this year following the "swing-gate" controversy at a Dublin hotel.
Ms Bailey issued a personal injuries claim against the Dean Hotel, which she later withdrew, after she fell from a swing on the premises.
Last month, Fine Gael members Dun Laoghaire voted for a review of the party’s election ticket in the constituency.
Ms Bailey was explicitly named in the vote which called on party headquarters to urgently review the election strategy for the area.
Since the controversy emerged, she has also been removed her from her position as chairperson of the Oireachtas Housing Committee.
