# Shatter says Martin blocked Varadkar’s agreed apology in the Dáil

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/revealed-the-wording-of-the-apology-that-former-justice-minister-alan-shatter-negotiated-with-ag-rossa-fanning-but-which-he-claims-micheal-martin-blocked-then-taoiseach-leo-varadkar-from-giving-him/
- Published: 2026-11-07T22:16:00+00:00
- Updated: 2026-11-07T22:30:33+00:00
- Original publisher: Daily Mail (publisher lean: Right)
- Original article: https://www.dailymail.com/news/article-16274893/The-wording-apology-former-Justice-Minister-Alan-Shatter-negotiated-AG-Rossa-Fanning-claims-Miche-l-Martin-blocked-Taoiseach-Leo-Varadkar-giving-D-il-2023.html?ns_mchannel=rss&ns_campaign=1490&ito=1490
- Topics: Government, Politics, World

## Key points

- Shatter says Martin blocked an apology Varadkar had agreed to give.
- Later inquiries and the Supreme Court vindicated Shatter.
- Varadkar acknowledged that vindication in 2023 but stopped short of apologising.

## Summary

Former Justice Minister Alan Shatter says Micheál Martin blocked a State apology that Leo Varadkar had agreed to give him in 2023. Shatter resigned from Cabinet in 2014 after a report criticised his handling of Garda whistleblower Maurice McCabe; later inquiries and court rulings vindicated him, making the apology a matter of official acknowledgement.

Shatter says he negotiated the wording with Attorney General Rossa Fanning, and correspondence from April 2023 indicates the issue was being considered by Martin and other party leaders. Varadkar’s July 2023 Dáil statement recognised Shatter’s vindication but did not apologise. Shatter says he continues to seek an apology for himself and his family.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.