Enda Kenny kills off bid to topple him

A defiant Enda Kenny has killed off internal Fine Gael attempts to topple him after silencing rebels with a promise to “conclusively” address his leadership next month.

The race to succeed Mr Kenny as Taoiseach is now with Ministers Leo Varadkar and Simon Coveney, who are ready to launch their campaigns.

Mr Kenny last night silenced his critics with a defiant speech to a packed Fine Gael parliamentary party meeting, insisting he won’t announce his departure until after St Patrick’s Day.