Labour TDs reject snap election claim

Labour TDs have rejected claims they are preparing for a snap election.

It comes as tensions between Labour and coalition partners Fine Gael mount over a perceived solo run by Health Minister James Reilly on health service cuts.

Both parties also recognise it will be extremely difficult to find agreement on where the €3.5bn of cutbacks and tax hikes in the December budget should fall.

Communications Minister Pat Rabbitte has already spoken of “surviving” the budget process.

But Labour TDs insisted yesterday that, despite the difficulties, pulling out of coalition just 18 months into a five-year term was not on their minds.

One Labour TD, Ciarán Lynch, said suggestions the party was preparing for a snap election were “a nonsense”.

Party colleague Michael McCarthy said: “To say that Labour is preparing for a snap election — it simply isn’t true.”

Another Labour TD, Dominic Hannigan, tweeted that the suggestions were “a load of tosh” and that the party’s only focus “is to get Ireland back on track. An election is years away”.

Their comments followed a headline in the Sunday Independent suggesting Labour TDs were preparing for a snap election. Party chairman Colm Keaveney was quoted as saying: “It would be wrong not to prepare for a general election, given the political challenges that lie ahead in the coming year, starting with the budget.”

Speaking to the Irish Examiner yesterday, Mr Keaveney did not resile from the comments, saying politics was about “dealing with unforeseen circumstances”.

However, he stressed that Labour would work with Fine Gael on trying to resolve budget difficulties.

He said his comments were made specifically in relation to the €130m of cuts by the HSE. “The cuts as they stand are unacceptable. So can the body politic come up with an adjustment that doesn’t affect frontline services? I think it can.”