IRISH Taoiseach Leo Varadkar accepted his deputy Frances Fitzgerald’s resignation yesterday in the interests of opposing Britain at Brexit talks.

Fine Gael party Tanaiste and Business Minister Ms Fitzgerald offered to fall on her sword yesterday morning, hours before a no-confidence vote called by Sinn Fein and Fianna Fail was set to go ahead that would have toppled the minority government.

The vote concerned allegations that Ms Fitzgerald knew of a 2015 smear campaign against garda (police) whistleblower Sergeant Maurice McCabe.