EU trade chief Phil Hogan resigns after Ireland trip furore

Former Irish government minister under fire for attending golf club dinner with 80 guests despite coronavirus restrictions

Phil Hogan first apologised for breaking lockdown rules. AFP/file

Ireland's Phil Hogan has resigned as EU trade commissioner because of the controversy over breaches of Covid-19 guidelines during a recent trip to his home country.

Mr Hogan, 60, tendered his resignation to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Wednesday after strong indications from the Irish government that he should step down.

The scandal, he said, had become a distraction that would undermine his work "in the key months ahead".

"I deeply regret that my trip to Ireland – the country that I have been so proud to represent as a public servant for most of my adult life – caused such concern, unease and upset," he said.

“As a public representative I should have been more rigorous in my adherence to the Covid guidelines.”

Ms von der Leyen, who had demanded he submit a detailed report of his trip after the row erupted, said she respected his decision, thanking him for his "tireless work".

Irish Prime Minister Micheal Martin and his coalition partners said Mr Hogan's resignation was "the correct course of action given the circumstances of the past week".

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, right, speaks with Phil Hogan in January. Ms von der Leyen thanked Mr Hogan for his 'tireless work'. AP

"We all have a responsibility to support and adhere to public health guidelines and regulations," they said.

They said Mr Hogan's replacement would be considered "in due course".

Mr Martin's government said on Tuesday that Mr Hogan flouted three coronavirus guidelines on his recent trip home from Brussels.

It said Mr Hogan, who became trade commissioner in 2019 as the EU was in the middle of trade battles with the US and tension with China, broke a 14-day quarantine after arriving in Ireland and failed to limit his travel in the middle of a localised lockdown.

He also attended a parliamentary golf club dinner on August 19, in breach of coronavirus restrictions on social gathering numbers announced 24 hours earlier.

The dinner was attended by about 80 people, including a cabinet minister, a Supreme Court judge and politicians from Ireland's upper and lower houses of Parliament.

It is now being investigated by police and has prompted high-level resignations in Irish politics, including agriculture minister Dara Calleary and the deputy chairman of the upper house of Parliament, Jerry Buttimer.

Mr Hogan has always denied breaking coronavirus legislation and said he tried to act in line with voluntary government guidelines.

But earlier on Wednesday Mr Martin said the government felt anger and annoyance at "the degree to which the commissioner has undermined public confidence in adherence to the health guidelines".

"We're very clear on all three fronts he breached the guidelines," he said.

The move will force the EU’s executive office to replace a key commissioner in the middle of the pandemic crisis and as the final months on a future deal with post-Brexit Britain approach.

Mr Hogan, a former minister from Deputy Prime Minister Leo Varadkar’s Fine Gael party, considered a bid to become the next director general of the World Trade Organisation in June before deciding against running.

Last week, Irish Health Minister Stephen Donnelly said the republic was “at the tipping point” after weekly coronavirus cases surged from 61 a few weeks ago to 533 last week.

There are restrictions to social gatherings indoors and crowds attending outdoor events, including sports, have since been reduced from 200 to 15.

Those aged over 70 are again being asked to stay at home as much as possible and workers are encouraged to work remotely.

There are more than 27,908 known cases of Covid-19 in Ireland and more than 1,700 deaths.