Iilkka Kanerva, the colourful Finnish Foreign Minister with a penchant for busty blondes, has been fired after a gossip magazine published some distinctly undiplomatic text messages sent to an erotic dancer.

Jyrki Katainen, leader of the conservative National Coalition Party, finally withdrew his support for Mr Kanerva following weeks of speculation about his relationship with 29-year-old Miss Johanna Tukiainen and her sister, a porn actress.

The SMS scandal had tainted the minister’s credibility, he said, adding that “Kanerva has not kept his promise to not let his private life interfere with his political” work.

The gossip magazine Hymy on Tuesday published 24 of the 200 texts he sent to the Tukiainen sisters, some of which contained flirtatious and sexually suggestive content.

One of them read: “Do you want to do it in some exciting place? What could it be?”

Mr Kanerva, 60, admitted using his taxpayer-funded mobile phone to send 200 messages of a sexual nature on the sidelines of an EU meeting in Brussels on March 10, following several weeks of denial.

Miss Tukiainen has spoken candidly of the messages, which have reportedly included inquiries as to what underwear she had on and suggestions of a threesome with her sister. “I have received more than 200 text messages and Mr Kanerva has asked for intimate dinners and asked what kind of underwear I am wearing. The text messages have been very intimate and been sent from all over the world. Sometimes I have answered, but often not,” Miss Tukiainen said.

The minister, who is in an eight-year relationship and has two daughters from a previous marriage, was a popular figure in Finland before the scandal and his sacking has come as a surprise.

He had been backed by the Prime Minister, Matti Vanhanen, who recently saw his own popularity soar after a passionate alliance with 36-year-old brunette Susan Ruusunen became public knowledge.

The dust has barely settled from that scandal, which erupted when Miss Ruusunen published intimate details of their relationship in a book The Prime Minister’s Bride. Miss Ruusunen was put on trial for violating the prime minister’s privacy but was acquitted by a Helsinki court last week.

However Mr Kanerva’s latest transgression appears to have been one misstep too far, even for a liberal nation like Finland.

As the scandal escalated it emerged that Mr Kanerva had engaged in such behaviour before, having been discovered two and a half years ago sending sexual messages to several young models. He had even reportedly promised a fellow MP that he would never again use his mobile phone for such a purpose.

Mr Vanhanen initially insisted that the relationship was a "private matter" for Mr Kanerva, reflecting the prevailing attitude in Finland, which has never before seen a minister sacked over a personal scandal.

But when questions on the SMS scandal dominated the Scandinavian press coverage at the press conference at the EU Foreign Ministers’ meeting in Slovenia last Friday the ground started to crumble beneath Mr Kanerva. He had become a burden for the Finnish government.

“Many already had doubts because of his colourful life when he was appointed foreign minister,” Mr Katainen said when announcing his departure today.

“He had his last chance. It was a question of credibility,” he added.

Mr Kanerva is to be replaced as foreign minister by Alexander Stubb, a 40-year-old member of the European Parliament.

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