Howlin to speak on allowances at next FG meeting

Labour’s Brendan Howlin, the public expenditure minister, is set to be invited to speak at Fine Gael’s next parliamentary party meeting after an outburst last night by TDs over the failure to cut workers allowances.

A gang of first-time TDs from a rebel group known as the “Five-a-Side Club” led angry complaints to Enda Kenny over this week’s climbdown on cutting public service allowances.

Party sources said Dublin South East TD Eoghan Murphy was the most vociferous at last night’s weekly party meeting over the allowances, and was backed by Galway East’s Paul Connaughton and Kerry South’s Brendan Griffin, among others.