Kelly denies leaking poll data to damage leadership rivals

Minister for the Environment Alan Kelly has denied reports in a Sunday newspaper that he leaked polling data to the media to damage possible Labour leadership rivals.

There was a unanimous view within the party that Mr Kelly was responsible for stories that claimed up to 20 Labour TDS would lose their seats based on party research, the Sunday Times reported.

On Monday morning, Mr Kelly said he never released any such information. “I believe this is a complete storm in a teacup,” he said. “I’m director of elections in the party and I’m not even aware of such analysis.”

He said he had also spoken to his staff and that they had “absolutely not” leaked any information either.

He told RTÉ’s Morning Ireland he was not aware of internal party research and that, as director of elections for the Labour Party, he would be aware of it if it existed.

The Irish Times published the contents of the analysis last week and TDs have accused their deputy leader Alan Kelly of putting the information into the public domain.

The Labour Party figures warned the party could return with between 10 and 16 TDs at the next general election, compared to the 37 seats it won in 2011.

On Sunday, party leader Joan Burton fully backed Mr Kelly and criticised the person who leaked the analysis.

She said: “I have been talking to Alan and he, like everybody else, absolutely deplores whoever was responsible for doing that.

“It is difficult to know the motivation of whoever was doing that. I don’t know if it is a single source or whether it is a number of sources.”

The latest Irish Times IpsosMRBI poll show support for the Labour Party has fallen by 1 per cent to 7 per cent.

But Mr Kelly said he was confident the party will receive a good level of support in next year’s general election.

“I believe that this forthcoming election has an awful long way to go,” he said. “When the election comes about, when people focus in on the decision they have to make, I believe they will support the Labour Party for the way in which this country has been turned around.”