A champion of unions in touch with party’s grassroots

A staunch defender of Labour, in touch with the mood of the party’s grassroots, and a trade union supporter. Those were some of the descriptions of Galway East TD Colm Keaveney, who rebelled and voted against his party’s budget measures.

The 41-year-old former trade union organiser has, for many months now, expressed his concern about decisions being made by senior Labour ministers against a backdrop of falling support for the party in the polls.

Keaveney gained a substantial victory on his stances and for grassroots members when he was elected chairman of Labour at the party’s annual meeting in Galway in April.