Lenihan denies involvement in bid to remove leader

FINANCE Minister Brian Lenihan was forced to return to Dublin from Belfast yesterday to attend a meeting of the Fianna Fáil parliamentary party where the party’s leadership would be discussed.

Just hours before the crunch meeting, in which Brian Cowen told critics he would not step down as leader, Mr Lenihan said he was not aware of the speculation of a leadership heave which was gathering pace in Dublin.

Mr Lenihan — who is tipped as a possible successor to Mr Cowen — said he was not involved in any heave.