The Taoiseach has again insisted he does not want the Tánaiste Frances Fitzgerald to resign her position.

Leo Varadkar is due to speak with Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin again today in a bid to break the impasse over the garda whistleblower controversy – and avoid a Christmas election.

Meanwhile, the Fine Gael National Executive Council held an emergency meeting this morning to discuss its strategy for a potential vote - in the event the parties fail to reach a compromise.

Speaking outside the meeting, Leo Varadkar said he remains hopeful that a resolution can be found:

“Certainly if there is a way to avoid the Government falling and the Dáil collapsing and an election, I am open to that,” he said.

“But it can’t involve the Tánaiste being forced to resign because that would just be the wrong thing to do.”

On Friday, Fianna Fáil tabled a motion of no confidence in the Tánaiste over her handling of the whistleblower scandal. 

The motion will be debated in the Dáil next Tuesday. If it is passed, the party will be in breach of the confidence and supply agreement that is propping up the minority-led Fine Gael government - triggering a general election.

Should the Tánaiste resign or be removed from her position in the meantime, the crisis could be avoided.

However, the Fine Gael Parliamentary Party on Thursday voted unanimously to support her.

Following the meeting this morning, the chair of the party’s national executive Gerry O’Connell said it could be facing into a “busy few weeks” but insisted the party will be prepared if an election is called:

“We approved the holding of a number of general election conventions, we will have over half of our general election candidates in place by Tuesday of next week,” he said.

“We have to stress, we are not looking for a general election, we don’t want a general election but we have to be prepared.

“We want to win the next general election decisively so our preparations have started from today.”