Simon Coveney: Fine Gael can beat Fianna Fáil in election

A bullish Simon Coveney has pledged Fine Gael will beat Fianna Fáil in the next general election and that his success as housing minister will potentially feed into debate about leadership change in his party.

However, he believes that Enda Kenny will remain on as Fine Gael leader this year, despite previous speculation that the two-time Taoiseach might move aside by the summer.

In an interview with the Irish Examiner, Mr Coveney refused to discuss his leadership ambitions. Instead, he stressed he was driven in his role and committed to tackling the housing crisis.