In his letter of resignation sent on Thursday to Niamh Uí Bhriain, McGuirk accused her of making him the “fall guy” while she “called the shots” in private.

The trial of McGuirk’s case, in which he alleges he was defamed by posts made by Cosgrave (pictured) on X – then Twitter – in 2021, was due to begin on Tuesday before a judge and a jury.

James Geoghegan mentioned the government’s package of supports running out by July when asked if there would be further protests.