Sinn Fein are to table a motion of no confidence in the Government next week - right before the Dáil is due to rise for the summer.
It comes after Fine Gael’s Joe McHugh resigned the Fine Gael Party whip last night, leaving the Government with 79 TDs, which is one short of what is required for a clear majority.
A Sinn Fein spokesman said: “This is a government that has now lost its parliamentary majority, and is failing to tackle the cost of living and housing crises.
“They have run out of road. A motion of no-confidence is under consideration.”
Mr McHugh, a Donegal TD, voted against the Defective Concrete Blocks Bill in the Dáil as mica homeowners watched on from the Dáil gallery on Wednesday night.
Tanáiste Leo Varadkar told his party colleagues that he was "confident the Government will continue to have a working majority in the Dáil and had not yet come close to losing a vote".
In May, the Green Party removed the party whip and suspended Patrick Costello and Nessa Hourigan from the parliamentary party for six months after they voted against the Government on the proposed relocation of the National Maternity Hospital to a site at St Vincent’s Hospital in Dublin.
Now Sinn Fein are set to table a motion of no-confidence in the Government to test the strength of the Coalition. A source has confirmed to the Irish Mirror that the motion of no-confidence was due to be announced by Sinn Fein on Friday.
However, Government TDs are confident Sinn Fein’s motion will be defeated as several Independent TDs normally vote with the Government, but it’s not always guaranteed.
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