LAST UPDATE | 22 Jan 2020

OUTGOING FINE GAEL TD Maria Bailey has said she will not be contesting the upcoming general election.

The Dún Laoghaire TD pulls out of the race after a decision from her party in November to remove her from the Fine Gael general election ticket in the constituency.

Bailey had been under scrutiny since her compensation case for falling off a swing at the Dean Hotel in Dublin in 2015 came to light earlier in 2019.

Bailey was demoted following an internal review which found that she “overstated” the extent of her injuries.

In an RTÉ radio interview in May, she said the swing had not been properly supervised at the time of her fall.

Bailey has since withdrawn proceedings she filed against the Dean Hotel and was demoted by being removed as chairwoman of the Oireachtas Housing Committee.

The former local councillor could have contested for the seat she won in the 2016 general election but said in a statement this morning she would not do so. 

With today the deadline for candidates to register to be included on the ballot for the election on Saturday 8 February, Bailey confirmed today she was stepping aside.

“It is with great sadness that after 16 years as an elected representative in Dún Laoghaire, I will not be standing in this election,” she said.

“This is a role that I have been truly passionate, proud and humbled by. Both myself and my late father John Bailey enjoyed working for the people of Dún Laoghaire and it was a privilege to be their voice and public representative.

The past number of months have been extremely difficult for me both privately and politically, and there are a number of people I would like to thank for their kindness and support. 

In Bailey’s constituency, meanwhile, journalist and columnist John Waters announced he is running under the Anti-Corruption Ireland banner. 

The party was founded by Gemma O’Doherty in February 2019. 

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O’Doherty has been a controversial figure on social media in recent years, and regularly issues posts criticising Ireland’s media, political parties and immigration policies.

She attempted to run in last year’s presidential election, but was unable to secure enough nominations from local councils to get on the ballot.

With reporting from Christina Finn

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