The support of independent TDs who backed the Government during a vote on the eviction ban is not guaranteed for next week’s confidence motion, TDs have warned.
It comes as the Government will face two crunch votes in the Dáil next week as the Labour Party officially tabled a motion of no confidence on Thursday morning.
This is on top of a second vote that will take place next Wednesday as Sinn Féin introduced a new-legally binding private members’ bill in a last-ditch attempt to extend the eviction ban.
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The Government is now on a razor thin majority of just one vote after the Green Party expelled “rebel” TD Neasa Hourigan for 15 months for voting against the eviction ban, a move that has caused fury amongst party members in some cohorts.
Labour whip Duncan Smith officially tabled its motion of no confidence in the Government at Thursday’s Business Committee.
It reads: “That Dáil Éireann notes that the Government by its refusal to extend the ban on evictions has made a deliberate and conscious decision to expose thousands of people to the risk of immediate homelessness and resolves that it has no confidence in the Government.”
The Government won a motion on the eviction ban on Wednesday after securing the support of some members of the Regional Independent Group.
However, Denis Naughten told the Irish Mirror that the group’s support is not guaranteed next week.
“Next week will be different from Wednesday,” he explained.
“We were interested in housing and how we could influence history. We saw an opportunity to have an influence on policy and we grabbed it with both bands.
“Next week is a different vote.”
Speaking in Brussels, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said that the no confidence motion will be defeated by a “significant majority”.
He said that he has “not personally” spoken to Independent TDs about the vote of no confidence “yet”.
“This isn’t the first motion of confidence we’ve had in the Government or a Government minister. There is one every two or three months.
“Does anyone really think these motions are going to pass?
“Of course, they’re not. This is political theatre and it is disappointing we don’t see the opposition using its time to actually put forward solutions.”
Mr Varadkar said that the Government losing a motion of confidence would mean an election in four weeks' time which he said will not fix any issues.
Sinn Féin has now tabled a new bill to be debated next Tuesday that would see the eviction ban extended until the end of January. This will be voted upon on Wednesday but, unlike this week’s vote, would be legally binding if it passed.
The party’s housing spokesperson Eoin Ó Broin denied that the motion was “theatrics” or “play-acting”.
“There's still time. While the government may have given up on renters. We haven't. We will continue to fight this way to the last moment.”
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