Lenihan: Taoiseach has my full support

Finance Minister Brian Lenihan has said no one has approached him to mount a leadership challenge against embattled Taoiseach Brian Cowen.

Mr Lenihan added that the Taoiseach had his full support, and that the issue of the leadership of Fianna Fáil did not arise "at present", as there was no vacancy for the position.

"The Taoiseach has my full support…Nobody has suggested to me that I should make a move…and to my knowledge, there is no such move," Mr Lenihan said this morning.

Meanwhile in a separate interview, the Taoiseach said he had learned his lesson after his controversial radio interview last week.

The piece, which was broadcast live on Morning Ireland the morning after a late night at the Fianna Fáil parliamentary party meeting in Galway, drew comment at home and abroad, and the Taoiseach was forced to deny he had been hungover during the interview.

Speaking to Ocean FM in an interview recorded on Friday night and broadcast today, Mr Cowen said he would not make the same mistake twice.

"Of course you learn lessons…where, if your voice is not at full strength, you make sure you're ready and prepared and that nothing like that (his performance on the Morning Ireland radio interview) would ever happen again."