Teachta McDonald said: "The Taoiseach leads a government that is stumbling from one crisis to the next in respect of housing, healthcare and the rising cost of living.

“Fine Gael, aided and abetted by Fianna Fáil, have proven that they are incapable of delivering for ordinary citizens. They have driven up the price of rents and left thousands of families without a home. Homelessness is at record levels.

"We have a Taoiseach that is failing workers and families, is out of ideas and increasingly desperate to cling to power.

"Instead of focusing on delivering for workers and families, he has chosen to attack Sinn Féin in comments unworthy of the office of Taoiseach.

"Joining the DUP leader Arlene Foster in comparing Republicans and nationalists to animals is hardly a badge of honour. In the face of Brexit gratuitous insults are no substitute for thoughtful leadership.

"The Taoiseach should remember that it is the people who decide who will be in government, not Leo Varadkar."