Sinn Féin likely to table no-confidence motion in Government

Sinn Féin is likely to table a motion of no confidence in the Government next week and is appealing to Independent TDs to stop supporting the Coalition.

The party will meet on Friday morning to decide whether to proceed with a confidence vote in the Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael, Green Party coalition.

The move comes after the Government lost its Dáil majority on Wednesday night, when Fine Gael TD Joe McHugh resigned the party whip over the mica redress scheme.

Mr McHugh’s defection means that the number of Fine Gael, Fianna Fáil and Greens TDs currently under their party whips no longer forms a majority in the Dáil.

However, the Government tends to win votes comfortably with the support of several Independents and Coalition TDs who have temporarily lost their party whips.

Sinn Féin has until Friday at 11am to decide whether it will submit a motion in private members business for next week’s order paper and the party is “actively considering” tabling a motion of no confidence in the Government, the party’s leader Mary Lou McDonald said on Thursday.

“We’ve had two years now of what I would describe as a disastrous Government,” Ms McDonald said.

“They no longer have a majority. I have no doubt that they believe they could limp on but the sooner we have a change in government, the better,” she added.

“We’re considering the matter [the motion of no confidence] and we will make a final call on it tomorrow,” she said at the launch of a Sinn Féin policy document on affordable childcare in Dublin.

Ms McDonald also urged Independent TDs to “please stop” supporting the Government in key Dáil votes and to think “long and hard” about their support.

“This is a bad Government. We need now solutions for people. We need a change in direction that is manifestly obvious,” she said.