She called his leaking of the GP contract “the worst of stroke politics”.
Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald has said Tánaiste Leo Varadkar “should have been sacked” over the leaking of a GP contract to a friend over two years ago.
Over the weekend, Gardaí confirmed an investigation is underway into the circumstances surrounding the disclosure of the confidential document.
On Monday, McDonald called Varadkar’s position “untenable” and said he “should have been sacked”.
“The leaking of a confidential GP contract by Leo Varadkar is the worst of stroke politics,” McDonald wrote on Twitter.
“He should have been sacked. The criminal investigation now underway underlines the seriousness of this case.
“Leo Varadkar’s position was untenable last November and is untenable today.”
The leaking of a confidential GP contract by Leo Varadkar is the worst of stroke politics. He should have been sacked. The criminal investigation now underway underlines the seriousness of this case. Leo Varadkar's position was untenable last November and is untenable today. #
— Mary Lou McDonald (@MaryLouMcDonald) March 15, 2021
The investigation relates to a story, published in Village Magazine last year, which said Varadkar had improperly leaked a confidential copy of a proposed new GP contract to a friend, Dr Maitiú Ó Tuathail.
The contract was between the HSE and union the Irish Medical Organisation, and at the time, Ó Tuathail was the head of a rival union, the National Association of GPs (NAGP).
A spokesperson for Varadkar said on Sunday that Gardaí had not been in contact with him about the investigation.
“The Gardaí have not been in contact with the Tánaiste about this matter,” the spokesperson said.
“Last month, on foot of media reports, his solicitors contacted the Gardaí to confirm his willingness to meet them and provide a statement. His legal advice is that he has committed no offence and looks forward to the matter being concluded.”
Varadkar apologised in the Dáil last year over the incident and said what he had done was “not best practice” and an “error of judgment”.
He denied he had broken the law and said there was “nothing selfish, corrupt, dishonest or illegal in what I did”.
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