Opposition calls out "shameful and reckless move" following Dáil vote to scrap triple lock

A vote took place in the Dáil last night to remove the triple lock on the deployment of members of the Irish defence forces overseas. 79 to 71 TDs voted in favour of removing the triple lock.

Following the result, the legislation will move to the committee stage, where it will be further examined. The decision came after an hours-long debate about the Defence (Amendment) Bill 2026.

Minister of Defence Helen McEntee opened the debate, and said the bill was required to secure Irish sovereignty and allow the Irish State to make decisions about where Defence Forces troops are sent.

The bill would remove the requirement for approval by the United Nations when deploying members of Irish Defence Forces outside the state.

Several public figures have criticised the decision. Mary Lou McDonald, leader of Sinn Féin shared a statement on Instagram. She called for a referendum to allow the Irish public to decide the outcome of the bill.

 

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A post shared by Mary Lou McDonald - Sinn Féin (@maryloumcdonaldsf)

People Before Profit shared a statement by TD Paul Murphy on their Instagram.

The party called the vote "a shameful and reckless move that needs to be confronted."

 

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A post shared by People Before Profit (@people_before_profit)

Social Democrats TD Padraig Rice gave a speech in the Dáil, urging the government to rethink their decision to go forward with the bill.

"I feel strongly that this is the wrong decision," he said.

"It has profound changes to our nation, to our sense of who we are and our place in the world.

"When international law is under attack, we need to defend the UN, we need to lean into multilateralism. We need to be that voice in the world that says "there is a different way.""

 

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A post shared by Pádraig Rice TD (@padraig.rice.td)

KNEECAP manager and Chief Operating Officer of Bohemians FC Daniel Lambert condemned the outcome of the vote in a statement on X. He called the decision a "traitorous move by the government."

A devastating day for Ireland.

We've sold our national grid and the environment to Big Tech.

Handed our skies to US war planes.

Our seas to EU factory ships.

Our conscience to appease the USA.

And now the last one falls...

Our neutrality for an EU army that supports Israel. https://t.co/PbxIwJAgjd

— Daniel Lambert (@dlLambo) October 21, 2026

Helen McEntee explained last week in the Cabinet that the new legislation is necessary following Ireland's recent withdrawal from Operation IRINI.

This was a European anti-arms smuggling naval mission in the Mediterranean. Ireland was forced to exit because the UN Security Council's mandate for the mission had lapsed. The Minister said not only was this damaging to the IRINI mission, it also prevented the Defence Forces from benefitting from the experience and knowledge sharing of the mission.

The current legislation for the triple lock is that no more than 12 troops can be deployed on an active mission overseas without the approval of the government, the Dáil, and the United Nations.