In 1999, he embarked on a political career and was elected to
Waterford County Council and Dungarvan Town Council. At the
2002 general election he was elected to
Dáil Éireann for the first time, succeeding his father, former Minister for Agriculture
Austin Deasy, who was retiring. He was appointed Spokesperson for
Justice, Equality and Law Reform, by the new leader,
Enda Kenny. He was sacked from the Fine Gael front bench in 2004, for smoking tobacco in the members bar at
Leinster House, the seat of the Irish Parliament, just days after a nationwide ban on smoking in the workplace had come into effect. In October 2004, he failed to return to the front bench in the reshuffle, but was appointed Chairman of the Dáil European Union Affairs Committee. In January 2007, he announced his intention to challenge Enda Kenny's leadership of Fine Gael should the party fail to enter government after the
2007 election. Fine Gael did not enter government, nor did Deasy carry out his challenge. He served as party Deputy Spokesperson on Foreign Affairs, with special responsibility for Overseas Development Aid from 2007 to 2010. Having topped the poll in Waterford at the
2011 election, he was vice-chair of the Dáil
Committee of Public Accounts. In June 2019, the Fine Gael organisation in
Waterford constituency passed a motion of no confidence in Deasy, supporting his longtime rival
Paudie Coffey. ==See also==