Swing-gate TD Maria Bailey has been dropped as a Fine Gael candidate for the next election.
Party HQ has removed the Dun Laoghaire TD from the general election ticket after her personal injuries claim against a Dublin hotel.
Maria Bailey made one last pitch to the Fine Gael executive council last night in a bid to save her career in the party, despite being told on Wednesday by Minister Paschal Donohoe and Fine Gael general secretary Tom Curran that she was being deselected.
She said she was told by the Taoiseach in July that the matter was closed after she was sacked as chair of the Oireachtas Housing Committee.
Deputy Bailey said she had hoped to be able to move on and rebuild her reputation, after the personal injuries case she took against the Dean Hotel after falling off a swing at the property. But she said anonymous sources have tried to reignite the scandal at every turn.
Maria Bailey's statement by saying she was a proud member of Fine Gael and will continue as a public representative.
Party headquarters has added Councillor Jennifer Carroll MacNeill to the election ticket in Dun Laoghaire to replace Maria Bailey, on the recommendation of the Taoiseach.
Attention will now turn to whether Maria Bailey will consider a run as an Independent candidate.
