Leo Varadkar and Fine Gael see significant slump in polls

Sinn Féin has topped the Red C poll for the first time since the tracking poll started in 2003 with Mary Lou McDonald's party on 29%

'The Sunday Times' Behaviour and Attitudes (B&A) poll saw Leo Varadkar's popularity plummet to 39%, down nine points. Picture: Brian Lawless

Leo Varadkar and Fine Gael have seen a significant decrease in popularity in two separate opinion polls this weekend.

Weeks after the Katherine Zappone appointment and Merrion Hotel incident, Fine Gael were down two points in the Business Post Red C poll on 28%, while The Sunday Times Behaviour and Attitudes (B&A) poll saw Leo Varadkar's popularity plummet to 39%, down nine points.

Fine Gael are now 10 points behind Sinn Féin on just 23% in the same B&A poll.

Mary Lou McDonald remains the most popular party leader in the country, on 48%, with the Taoiseach Micheál Martin on 45%. 

Mr Varadkar comes fourth, after Labour Party leader Alan Kelly who remains unchanged on 44%. The Labour Party however remain on 5%.

Sunday's results are the first time Sinn Féin has topped the Red C poll since the tracking poll started in 2003; Mary Lou McDonald's party are on 29% and remain the most popular party with 18-34-year-olds and has a strong lead among 35-54 year-olds.

Fianna Fáil remain on 13% after hopes of a "vaccine bounce" due to the Government's successful rollout of the Covid-19 vaccine programme never materialised.

Both polls are set to sharpen minds as the Fine Gael think-in begins today in Trim, Co Meath. 

Mr Varadkar has come under sustained criticism after he attended a private party held by former minister Katherine Zappone in Dublin's Merrion Hotel, afterwards stating it "probably" wasn't against Covid-19 restrictions.

The Minister for Enterprise was then photographed last week at a music festival in London, days after saying that Ireland should not follow England's example when it came to outdoor music events amid an ongoing row on whether the Electric Picnic music festival could go ahead.

Fine Gael face a further headache this week as Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Coveney will face a vote of no confidence on Wednesday over the appointment of Katherine Zappone to a role in the UN and admitting to deleting text messages from his phone, in direct contravention of the FOI Act.

It is expected that the Government will win the vote, however, Fianna Fáil TD John McGuinness has indicated he may not vote with his party, a move that would see him suspended from Fianna Fáil for six months.