A Fine Gael TD has made a last ditched effort to save Maria Bailey’s political career ahead of the party meeting tonight to decide her future.

Dublin South West TD Colm Brophy has broken ranks to say Ms Bailey should remain on the Fine Gael general election ticket in Dun Laoghaire.

Speaking on Independent.ie’s Floating Voter podcast, Mr Brophy said: “On a personal level I would not like to see Maria Bailey deselected.”

“I think she is an excellent hard-working TD in the constituency and I think she has gone through incredibly tough times in the past few months,” he added.

Mr Brophy said Ms Bailey “made a mistake” and has already “paid a cost” for the controversy surrounding the personal injury claim she took after falling off a swing in a hotel.

The Fine Gael TD’s comments come as Fine Gael’s national executive tonight decide whether or not to deselect Ms Bailey after a vote was passed by her local branch asking that their general election ticket be reviewed.

Meanwhile, Fianna Fail TD James Lawless told the podcast that the party’s under fire by-election candidate Lorraine Clifford-Lee’s comments about travellers are “foolish, inane and very ill advised”.

However, Mr Lawless said it would be a “bridge too far” to expect Ms Clifford-Lee to resign over the remarks.

“You should never post anything on social media which you wouldn’t be prepared to have displayed on a billboard outside your granny’s house,” the Kildare North TD said.

He also said he would “hate to think” there was a “sneaking regard” among some voters in Dublin Fingal for Ms Clifford-Lee’s remarks.

Mr Brophy also defends Culture Minister Josepha Madigan’s calls for parents to take more responsibility for informing their children about the dangerous of online pornography.