Brendan Howlin: Ministers ‘dragging us further to right’

Labour leader Brendan Howlin has accused Simon Coveney and Leo Varadkar of using the race to replace Taoiseach Enda Kenny to “drag the country further to the right”.

His comments came as Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin downplayed but did not rule out suggestions both FF and FG could form a future coalition, saying it is “far too early to be talking about options like that”.

Speaking during a live TV keynote speech at Labour’s annual conference in Wexford over the weekend, his first as party leader, Mr Howlin took aim at the “do nothing” Government as a whole, saying the “rag-bag” coalition is failing the public by continuing to insist on its “austerity fetish”.