Leo Varadkar warns against 'overly cautious' budget

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar at the National Economic Dialogue conference in Dublin Castle yesterday, where he said a cautious budget could push more people into poverty and financial distress. Picture: Damien Storan/PA

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has warned that a cautious budget could push more people into poverty and financial distress, in comments that appear at odds with other senior Government ministers.

On the same day that Tánaiste Micheál Martin and Finance Minister Michael McGrath suggested that the forthcoming budget must be “prudent”, Mr Varadkar said an overly cautious approach is not something that he would be able to stand over.