Former Justice Minister Alan Shatter has announced his intention to run in the upcoming general election.
Previously a member of Fine Gael but allowing his party membership to lapse in 2018, Shatter will now contest the election as an Independent candidate in the Dublin Rathdown constituency.
He was first elected to the Dáil in 1981 for Fine Gael and served until 2002 when he lost his seat, but he reclaimed it in the 2007 general election. He served as Justice Minister from 2011 to 2014.
During Fine Gael’s time in opposition, Shatter held several prominent frontbench roles over the years, including Labour, Justice, Children, Health and the Environment. He now serves as the chair of the Inheritance Tax Reform Campaign.
A lawyer and author by profession, Shatter self-describes as an “expert on Israel and the Middle East.” Over the past year, he has been a staunch supporter of Israel in the Gaza conflict, and has slammed his former party of Fine Gael for its stance on the issue, accusing Simon Harris of “blood libel, ignorance and incitement to hate” in response to Harris saying that Israel’s conflict had become a “war on children”, adding: “You cannot build peace on the mass graves of children – it is unfortunate that a country has become blinded by rage.”