FILE - This is a Friday, Nov. 17, 2017. file photo of Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar, as he speaks with the press as he arrives for an EU summit in Goteborg, Sweden. Ireland's governing party and main opposition are on Tuesday Nov. 28, 2017, holding last-minute talks to avoid the government collapsing just as it faces a crunch time in Brexit negotiations. Irish lawmakers are due to vote on a no-confidence motion in the deputy prime minister filed by opposition party Fianna Fail.(AP Photo/File, Virginia Mayo)
November 28, 2017 - 4:23 AM
LONDON - The Latest on the political situation in Ireland (all times local):
12:20 p.m.
Irish media say the country's deputy prime minister has agreed to resign to avert a parliamentary vote that would have collapsed the government and triggered a snap election.
Irish lawmakers were due to vote Tuesday on a no-confidence motion targeting deputy premier Frances Fitzgerald, filed by opposition party Fianna Fail.
Fianna Fail wanted Fitzgerald ousted over her involvement in a long-running police scandal.
Prime Minister Leo Varadkar's Fine Gael party backed Fitzgerald. Irish broadcaster RTE and other outlets say she will quit, heading off a vote that the minority government would likely have lost.
The crisis comes at a crucial time for Varadkar's five-month-old government. A key EU summit looms Dec. 14-15, and Ireland is pressing Britain to spell out how it can maintain the open Ireland-Northern Ireland border after Brexit.
___
11:30 a.m.
Ireland's governing party and main opposition are holding last-minute talks to avoid the government collapsing just as it faces a crunch time in Brexit negotiations.
Irish lawmakers are due to vote on a no-confidence motion targeting the deputy prime minister filed by opposition party Fianna Fail.
Fianna Fail wants Prime Minister Leo Varadkar's deputy, Frances Fitzgerald, ousted over her involvement in a long-running police scandal.
Varadkar's Fine Gael party is backing Fitzgerald, but if his minority government loses the vote, Ireland faces a snap election.
Varadkar and Fianna Fail leader Micheal Martin are due to hold talks Tuesday.
A key EU summit looms Dec. 14-15, and Ireland is pressing Britain to spell out how it can keep the Ireland-Northern Ireland border free of customs posts and other barriers after Brexit.
News from © The Associated Press, 2017