Labour’s Robert Dowds will not contest election

Another Labour TD has decided not to contest the general election, and has claimed that democracy has been degraded in Ireland.

Announcing his decision not to run in Dublin Mid-West, Robert Dowds said there had been corruption of politicians and that public representatives had suffered vile abuse via social media.

The former teacher is the seventh Labour TD in recent weeks to declare he will not run for the party when an election is called.