O’Keeffe lines up Fianna Fáil return

REBEL TD Ned O’Keeffe is ready to come in from the cold after turning his back on the Fianna Fáil parliamentary party a mere 11 weeks ago.

The maverick Cork East deputy resigned the whip in November in fury at the government’s health policies. However, Mr O’Keeffe has encountered opposition from some of his estranged colleagues after writing to Government Chief Whip Tom Kitt last week asking to return to the fold.

Mr O’Keefe’s bid to rejoin the Dáil ranks sparked a heated debate at the FF parliamentary party meeting where Meath West TD Johnny Brady argued against an early readmission.