The former Social Democrats TD Stephen Donnelly has joined Fianna Fáil.

The Wicklow TD applied this morning to join the party, and his membership was approved at a closed meeting of Fianna Fail TDs and Senators in Leinster House.

He has been immediately appointed to the party's front bench as Brexit spokesman.

Donnelly co-founded the Social Democrats in July 2015 but resigned from the fledgling party last September.

Before setting up the new party he had regularly been approached by Fianna Fáil figures about joining them, and has now officially applied to do so.

Donnelly topped the poll in Wicklow in last year's election with a poll of 14,348.

The five-seat constituency already has one Fianna Fail TD, Pat Casey, who seconded Donnelly's nomination at the parliamentary party this morning.

Speaking to reports this afternoon Donnelly said his supporters in Wicklow wanted him to make a difference - and that's why he decided to join a party.

He says he won't retract his previous comments where he criticised the party in which he now serves.

But he says he's more worried about the country now, than he was when he first entered politics six years ago - and his supporters wanted him to act.

Today FM's Gavan Reilly asked Donnelly how he could now join a party which he was so vocally opposed to for six years: