Kenny cut short meeting to avoid showdown

ENDA Kenny cut short the meeting of the 19-member Fine Gael frontbench in a desperate bid to outmanoeuvre his opponents.

Richard Bruton’s supporters had planned to tell Mr Kenny at the 11am meeting yesterday morning that he had lost their confidence.

Had such an event occurred, the meeting would likely have developed into a lengthy and bitter one, as both camps slugged it out.

But Mr Kenny saw the writing on the wall and instead cut short the meeting before his opponents had a chance to have their say.

He bluntly told those present that it would be the last meeting of the frontbench – thereby effectively dissolving it – as he would announce a reshuffle next Monday.

The message was clear: anybody who opted to back Mr Bruton would suffer the same fate as him and be sacked. There would be no place on the new frontbench for them.

Mr Kenny also made clear that the only forum that could decide the leadership was a meeting of the wider parliamentary party.

The parliamentary party – ie, Fine Gael’s 70 TDs, senators and MEPs – will meet tomorrow to debate a motion of confidence in Mr Kenny.

Mr Kenny told the frontbench he would win that vote and lead the party into the next general election.

He extended an invitation to frontbenchers to come and meet him in his office if they wanted a private discussion.

But that was the only olive branch, and Mr Kenny resisted calls from those present to have a discussion on the leadership issue there and then. After delivering his blunt message, he “shut down” the meeting and walked out.

“He wasn’t banging the table, but he was close to it,” said one of those present.

Within an hour, nine frontbenchers – Denis Naughten, Brian Hayes, Simon Coveney, Leo Varadkar, Olivia Mitchell, Michael Creed, Olwyn Enright, Fergus O’Dowd and Billy Timmins – held a brief press conference.

Their message was equally blunt: Enda had lost their confidence, and it was time for him to go.

Mr Naughten expressed “disappointment” Mr Kenny had shut down the frontbench meeting, saying they had no option but to go public. Mr Kenny’s decision to fight to save his leadership, would ensure a “very damaging contest”, he admitted. But he rejected suggestions the timing of the Bruton camp’s heave was terrible, insisting: “There’s no wrong time to make a right decision.”