Fitzgerald and Donohoe add their voices in support of Kenny

Minister for Public Expenditure Paschal Donohoe and Minister for Justice Francis Fitzgerald have joined their senior Ministerial colleagues in voicing support for Enda Kenny as leader.

Speaking on Tuesday Mr Donohoe he had “made clear in a number of occasions that I fully support him in his work.”

“I believe he is the person best placed to oversee this administration and to represent our country in the very sensitive negotiations that are going to be taking place in relation to the future of the EU and the exit of the United Kingdom from the EU.”

Earlier Ms Fitzgerald said she believed Mr Kenny would still be Taoiseach in 12 months time. Responding to a question on RTE’s Today with Sean O’Rourke programme she said it was wrong to talk about a timescale for his departure.

“We need to have stability. We are a minority government so the focus has to be on implementing policies. “All this speculation just adds to instability. We have to just get on with the job of being in government.”

She welcomed comments earlier in the day on Morning Ireland by Fianna Fáil's Education spokesperson Thomas Byrne who said that his party had no view on who should lead Fine gael and just wanted to see policies being implemented.

“That’s a sensible approach. We want to get on and to focus on the Programme for Government.”

Mr Byrne urged Fine Gael to "get their act together" over the leadership debate and focus their energies on creating a stable Government.

“If they can get more focus on policies we would be more satisfied,” said Mr Byrne. “We have a supply and confidence agreement with them.

“We want to see the policies agreed under the Programme for Government implemented. Policies and stability are more important than who is leader.”

Fine Gael TDs have rallied around Taoiseach Enda Kenny but also insisted that he should stand aside by the end of the year.

Ministers and TDs have publicly backed Mr Kenny. However, privately there is a widespread belief within the party that the Fine Gael leader should not lead them into the new year.

TDs and Ministers told The Irish Times privately he should be given the space and time to pass a budget.

One TD said an immediate change in leadership was premature, but insisted his and his colleagues’ support would “expire on 31st December, 2016”.

“Kenny’s critics have done the exact opposite of what they wanted. They have caused everybody to rally around him.

“But look, everyone knows it has to happen but we need to get a budget over the line first. I have made that very clear to the Taoiseach.”