Fine Gael TD Dara Murphy could have to resign his Dáil seat before Christmas amid speculation linking him with a post in the European Commission.
The former Minister for European Affairs has rarely attended the Dáil since he lost that ministerial job after Leo Varadkar became Taoiseach in the middle of 2017.
The Cork North Central TD already works with the European People's Party (EPP) in a largely Brussels-based role.
However, he could now be set to land a high-ranking job in the European Commission which would end his time in Leinster House.
The position is thought to be deputy head of staff for the Bulgarian European Commissioner for Innovation Mariya Gabriel.
Tonight, sources in Fine Gael insist though that there has been no formal job offer yet for Mr Murphy.
Should he land the role the Government would have to call a by-election within six months but a general election is almost certain to happen before then anyway.
The TD's departure would however further reduce the minority Government’s slim numbers in Dáil Éireann.
