Lucinda Creighton has said she has “no intention” of rejoining Fine Gael and that joining the Technical Group in the Dáil is “an exciting prospect.”

Ms Creighton told Newstalk: “I really feel that I haven’t left Fine Gael but Fine Gael has left me and has left tens of thousands of people who have voted for Fine Gael at the last election.”

Lucinda Creighton, a leading figure in the Reform Alliance, submitted her application to Ceann Comhairle Seán Barrett to join the technical group.

Ms Creighton said last night that the Ceann Comhairle had agreed to facilitate her and colleagues Billy Timmins, Terence Flanagan, Peter Matthews and Denis Naughten in joining the group.

The former Fine Gael junior minister resigned as the European Affairs Minister last year following her vote against the abortion legislation which saw her expelled from the Fine Gael parliamentary party.

The addition of the five former Fine Gael TDs would push up the membership of the technical group from 16 to 21.

If the two former Labour TDs, Róisín Shortall and Tommy Broughan, also decide to join the group, it would have 23 TDs.

She said that joining the group would not mean aligning herself with the views of other members of the technical group.

“It is a technical alliance to grant people rights to speak in the Dáil, nothing else.”

She said the Reform Alliance is “not a political party” but said she was “talking to to a lot of people and exploring the options.”

“While I am not ruling anything out, and clearly there is appetite for one. I want to work with people who are like minded, I don’t want to stand as a sole trader at the next election.”

“It is about having a clear set of policies that are not negotiable after an election. I am not about making up the numbers with Fine Gael or Fianna Fáil or anyone,” she added.