Phil Hogan, former European Commissioner and cabinet minister, now plays an unpaid role in an internal election committee for Fine Gael. Mr Hogan left his role as EU trade commissioner in 2020 due to his involvement in the Golfgate scandal. Since then, he has developed an extensive consulting business and distanced himself from political life. He has satisfied himself that no conflict of interests exists between his consulting work and his role with Fine Gael.
Joining him on the committee will be Fine Gael general secretary John Carroll, ex-deputy prime minister and justice minister Frances Fitzgerald, Olwyn Enright, the ex-MP now in charge of election strategy and campaign planning for the party, and Dublin Rathdown MP Colm Brophy.
As per The Sunday Independent who disclosed the news first, the committee will be reporting directly to Taoiseach Simon Harris. Mr Harris, who sought counsel from Mr Hogan among others, prior to his succeeding Leo Varadkar as the leader of Fine Gael, acknowledged his use of Mr Hogan’s advice as such.
Hogan, who formerly acted as agriculture commissioner, officially reported around €1 million in annual revenues from his consultancy firm Triton Advisory in 2022, with clients like Visa, Vodafone, and Ardagh, a supplier of glass and metal products. His clientele also includes digital finance firm Proof of Trust, a company that continually communicated with the cabinet of his successor as Ireland’s European Commissioner.
Hogan’s resignation from his position as Commissioner came after he lost the backing of Ireland’s three-man coalition leadership following his contentious presence at a dinner hosted by the Oireachtas golf society amidst Covid-19 restrictions, an incident which also saw the resignation of agricultural minister Dara Calleary. Hogan later claimed that the Irish government leaders had been riding on a “wave of populist outrage.”