Callely urged to quit the party

PRESSURE grew on Senator Ivor Callely last night to follow the example of his Seanad colleague Larry Butler and resign from the Fianna Fail parliamentary party over the expenses controversy.

Mr Callely went to ground as Government ministers urged him to go now of his own accord or be pushed out of the parliamentary party next week.

And Mr Butler's announcement shortly after 9.30pm last night that he would resign the party whip left Mr Callely badly exposed.

Sympathy for Mr Callely has all but eroded within Fianna Fáil and the party is eager for the senator to resign the whip so that it can distance itself from the expenses controversy.

Taoiseach Brian Cowen has directed that a motion be taken at a meeting of the parliamentary party next week to remove the whip from Mr Callely. But in a bid to end the damage that the affair is doing to Fianna Fáil, two ministers yesterday urged Mr Callely to go immediately.

Transport Minister Noel Dempsey said the party was "fed up" of allegations that its members were involved in wrongdoing.

While he stressed he was not prejudging Mr Callely, he said any person under a formal investigation should "step aside" while the inquiry is ongoing.

Mr Callely is being investigated by a Seanad committee over his controversial expense claims, but says he does not believe he has broken any regulations.

"The party has made its views known that they regard the allegations as being very serious," Mr Dempsey said.

"They've asked for an explanation (from Mr Callely). They haven't got that... it is bringing the party into controversy."

Enterprise Minister Batt O'Keeffe echoed those comments, saying it would be better for Mr Callely to go now.

"Obviously it would be probably more appropriate if Ivor himself decided that he would renounce the whip at this point in time, and allow the investigation to go on and without prejudice. If he's exonerated by that investigation, obviously it will be free for him to go back into the party."

Mr O'Keeffe said the Taoiseach wasn't happy at Mr Callely's failure to explain his controversial expenses to the party, although the senator has submitted a statement to the committee investigating the affair.

By contrast, Mr Butler is understood to have offered an explanation to the party over his expenses, and acted last night to distance Fianna Fail from the controversy.