Coalition party leaders fail to quell talk of snap election

Taoiseach Enda Kenny and Tánaiste Joan Burton have batted away growing claims of a November election, insisting it is just speculation and that whoever is doing it “needs to stop”.

The Fine Gael and Labour leaders denied they are trying to catch the opposition off-guard in messages to their parties’ weekly private meetings after 48 hours of increasing rumours the country is weeks away from going to the polls.

A number of TDs said last night that Mr Kenny opened the latest Fine Gael parliamentary party meeting by dismissing the claims head-on and insisting the speculation has no basis in fact.