Enda Kenny risks ‘tearing party apart’

Taoiseach Enda Kenny must explicitly set out his time-frame for stepping down this Wednesday or risk “tearing Fine Gael apart”, senior figures last night warned.

It emerged yesterday that government business has effectively been placed “on hold” with a key meeting of ministerial advisers only lasting 30 minutes, compared to the normal two hours, because of the leadership crisis.

Mr Kenny’s pending address to the parliamentary party is now seen as make or break, but sources close to both leadership candidates, Simon Coveney and Leo Varadkar, have said Mr Kenny must be “defintive” in terms of his intentions or face a motion of no confidence.