Ireland's deputy prime minister Frances Fitzgerald has agreed to resign over handling of a police whistleblowing scandal, pulling the country back from the brink of a snap election.
Taoiseach Leo Varadkar confirmed his deputy would stand down in a phone call to opposition leader, Fianna Fail's Micheal Martin, whose party threatened to bring down Ireland's minority government over the affair.
Just hours before a motion of no confidence was due to be held in Ms Fitzgerald, Mr Varadkar telephoned Mr Martin to confirm the decision, a Fianna Fail party source said.
The move looks set to thwart a political crisis in Dublin, which would have cast a shadow over Brexit negotiations.
Mr Martin "has put huge personal effort into resolving this issue and averting a general election - and it looks like that may well have been achieved," Fianna Fáil finance spokesman Michael McGrath told RTE radio.
Fianna Fail wanted Ms Fitzgerald ousted over her involvement in a long-running police scandal, revolving around her knowledge of an aggressive legal strategy against a respected police officer during a private inquiry in 2015.
As well as threatening the fragile agreement between the parties, the uncertainty also came ahead of crunch Brexit talks which hinge on progress being made on the Irish border and other key issues.
Mr Varadkar's Fine Gael party had backed Ms Fitzgerald ahead of a motion of no-confidence due to be voted on tonight.
