Alan Kelly backs Ivana Bacik to become Labour leader

Mr Kelly said that after his colleagues informed them of their concerns over the party, the decision to step aside was a straightforward one

Ivana Bacik and Alan Kelly bumping elbows outside the RDS count centre for the Dublin Bay South by-election. Picture: Sam Boal / RollingNews.ie

Alan Kelly has backed Dublin TD Ivana Bacik to succeed him as leader of the Labour party.

Mr Kelly announced he was stepping down from the position earlier this week amid concerns over the direction the party was headed.

Yesterday, TDs Aodhán Ó Ríordáin and Duncan Smith confirmed they would not be contesting the leadership.

In his first interview since confirming the move to step down, Mr Kelly told Tipp FM that Ms Bacik would "almost certainly" become leader and that he hoped the party would coalesce around her. 

“Ivana is incredible, she was fighting issues before they became fashionable. She deserves her chance, so let's give it to her,” Mr Kelly said.

Mr Kelly said after his colleagues informed them of their views on the party, the decision to step aside was a straightforward one. 

"They approached me and said I didn’t have the collective support of them, and to be honest with you I accepted it straight away," he said. 

He also said that given his long relationships with them, particularly the likes of Sean Sherlock and Duncan Smith, there was "no point" in fighting back against the heave.

TDs Aodhán Ó Ríordáin and Duncan Smith confirmed they would not be contesting the Labour Party leadership. Picture: Sasko Lazarov / RollingNews.ie

However, he said their conversations contained “no drama”. 

Mr Kelly told Tipp FM on Friday that there were three primary reasons for his resignation.

Firstly, he said his accession to the top of the party during the Covid pandemic left him “in a very strange place politically”. 

“There was only one topic for two years: coronavirus, and how we were going to deal with it.

"It was very difficult to do opposition politics during those first two years," he said.

The second reason Mr Kelly cited was Labour’s performance in recent opinion polls.

Stats, polls, it’s very simple: We weren’t rising in them. The party poll numbers were stagnant.

Lastly, Mr Kelly said, that from a party perspective, it was “time we moved on from” the period in which he was a member of the government from 2011 to 2016.

He said this was “a very significant factor which was referenced to him” by his Labour colleagues.

Quizzed about whether speculation over a proposed appointment of one of his relatives to Labour’s backroom team influenced his decision, Mr Kelly said there were “no other reasons” involved.

“It is what it is,” he said.

Commenting on surprise among grassroots party members to his resignation, Mr Kelly acknowledged that some were “upset and angry and lots of other things as well”. 

However, Mr Kelly insisted stepping aside was the right thing to do.

Alan Kelly has backed Dublin TD Ivana Bacik to succeed him as leader of the Labour party. Picture: Sasko Lazarov / RollingNews.ie

Despite a seemingly uncomfortable on the plinth appearance on Tuesday, Mr Kelly said he and his colleagues went for a drink afterwards.

“We were together throughout, we knew what we were doing, and we were together after," he said.

“And look, I was doing leaders yesterday in the Dáil with my colleagues sitting around me, and that’s life.” 

As for what he will do in his post-leadership life, Mr Kelly said he was looking forward to spending more time with his family, particularly his parents.

“There’s upsides to everything," he said.

Speaking more generally about politics in Ireland in 2022, Mr Kelly said it was “a very tough game” and that if he knew when he began his political career what he knows now, he may have thought twice about entering the political arena.

“It's different now. It's social media, it’s constantly on.” 

That said, Mr Kelly said his intention was to run again, but that he would “reflect on that” closer to the time.