Fine Gael rebels deny threatening to establish right-wing party

Fine Gael rebels have denied threatening to set up a right-wing party in order to try and bounce Enda Kenny into allowing them a bigger role in the Dáil.

High-profile ex-minister Lucinda Creighton, who was thrown out of the Fine Gael parliamentary group for voting against X-case legislation, insists she has no plans to quit the party fully.

Fellow anti-abortion rebel Billy Timmins said he was not involved in any planning to create a conservative-minded alternative to Fine Gael.

Mr Timmins said he had only been involved in talks attempting to get greater speaking rights for TDs expelled from Fine Gael once the Dáil returns from its nine-week summer break on Sept 18.

“I would hope that the Government will afford us recognition, and any other group that wants it, recognition, because as it stands the rules and regulations of the Dáil are very much weighted against such a group of individuals as those of us who have been put out of a party,” he told Today FM.

The Protection of Life During Pregnancy Bill saw Fine Gael lose five TDs and two senators. Denis Naughten quit the party earlier in protest at a broken election pledge regarding Roscommon hospitals services.

Ms Creighton has consistently denied she is manoeuvring to set up a new political block, dubbed “The Lucindanistas” by some, since she was forced out of her role as European affairs minister because of her hardline stance on abortion.

Speculation was increased when she was spotted having lunch with former PD tánaiste Michael McDowell last month.

The current rules allow for only one technical group to exist in any Dáil, but the Ceann Comhairle is under growing pressure to amend these due to the large number of TDs expelled from the Coalition parties.

Labour has seen five deputies quit or be thrown out of the parliamentary party after disputes regarding Coalition policies.

Sources close to former junior health minister, Róisín Shortall, told the Irish Examiner the creation of a new centre-left grouping around disgruntled Labour TDs and left-leaning independents could happen at some stage.

Coalition leaders fear allowing the growing band of rebels from both parties to adopt a more high-profile role in the Dáil and use it as a platform to attack Government policy on a regular basis.

Under the current rules, the only option for them is to join the existing technical group of independents.

Changes to the standing orders would need to be approved by the Ceann Comhairle and the Committee on Procedures and Privileges.