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Jennifer Carroll MacNeill: Minister moves centre stage

She may have angered Fianna Fáil by calling for tax cuts, but it’s part of the party’s efforts to stand out in the coalition

Jennifer Carroll MacNeill is one of the few people who has managed to change from being a behind-the-scenes special adviser to an elected TD. Illustration: Peter Hanan

Junior finance minister Jennifer Carroll MacNeill last week angered Fianna Fáil by publicly putting her name to an opinion piece calling for tax cuts of €1,000 per worker in the next Budget.

It was a clearly coordinated effort to set the political agenda, and many Fine Gael insiders believe it was the first of many times for her to be the face of the party’s efforts to stand out in the coalition.

Carroll MacNeill is ...