Joan Burton refutes claim she pushed Eamon Gilmore for job as Foreign Affairs Minister

Labour leader Joan Burton has denied she pushed her predecessor Eamon Gilmore to give her the job as Foreign Affairs Minister when the Coalition was being formed.

Instead, his successor claims she warned him that a leader of the Labour Party would have a busy job and should not be travelling abroad when needed at home.

Ms Burton’s comments flatly contradict the remarks made by Mr Gilmore, in his memoir, published last month, about his time at the helm of the party and in government.