91Èȱ¬

A Sinn Féin TD (Irish MP) has resigned from the party, claiming she has been "isolated" and subjected to "psychological warfare".

Violet-Anne Wynne was elected to the Dáil (lower house of parliament) in 2020 to represent the Clare constituency.

In her resignation statement she accused the party of not supporting her since becoming a TD.

Sinn Féin said it was very sorry to hear of her resignation.

The party said it had worked to address issues she had raised.

Ms Wynne, who recently gave birth to her sixth child, is on maternity leave.

In her resignation statement she accused the party of not supporting her since becoming a TD.

"My unplanned pregnancy was also a further stick to beat me with and I am truly concerned for women who may want to come forward for Sinn Féin in the future, in Clare," she said.

Ms Wynne said she had no problem with her fellow TDs but with "gatekeepers" who "pressurised" her into making decisions that she couldn't stand over including hiring staff.

"I believe that the administrative side to the party and the organisers wanted me to stand down and have been actively seeking this through gaslighting measures and what can only be described as psychological warfare," she added.

Five years ago a number of Sinn Fein councillors resigned from the party accusing it of "bullying".

Sinn Féin always denied such behaviour.

Reacting to Violet-Anne Wynne's resignation the party's deputy whip, Denise Mitchell, said she was "very sorry" to hear about the decision.

Ms Mitchell said the party had been working to resolve the challenges at constituency level before Ms Wynne returned from maternity leave.

"Unfortunately, Violet-Anne has now decided to leave Sinn Féin. We wish her and her family the very best," she added.