Enda Kenny insists he will lead Fine Gael into general election

Taoiseach Enda Kenny has insisted he will lead Fine Gael into the next election and will form another government with Labour following a spring 2016 contest.

A growing number of Fine Gael figures – both backbenchers and Ministers – are beginning to question Mr Kenny’s leadership of the party and whether he is the right person to lead them into the election.

While no moves against Mr Kenny are anticipated in the short term, his position could come under further pressure if Fine Gael’s poll figures do not improve by the spring, some TDs believe.

The latest Irish Times/Ipsos MRBI poll on Wednesday put Fine Gael on 19 per cent, its lowest standing since 2003, with Mr Kenny's satisfaction rating also on 19 per cent – the lowest of any party leader.

However, speaking in Armagh following a meeting of the North-South Ministerial Council, Mr Kenny insisted he would see his party through the election.

Successful

“I am absolutely happy that, not only will I lead the Fine Gael party into the next election, but lead them through it successfully to form a government with the Labour Party as we go into the late spring of 2016.”

He said the Coalition had decided “early on that we would make all the very difficult decisions in the first period of government. We’ve done all of that and the last of those, in terms of an extra charge, is the water situation.”

He recognised the Government had a “challenge . . . to explain the why of the decisions, so that the people can see the rising benefits that are coming now from having emerged from deep recession.”