Martin shrugs off reports of Fianna Fáil heave 

Taoiseach Micheál Martin said  he was not 'going to go into numbers' when asked if he thought he would survive a confidence vote. Picture: Damien Storan

The Taoiseach has shrugged off any notion of a Fianna Fáil heave against him.

Speaking in Tokyo on Wednesday, Micheál Martin said any notion of rebel TDs ousting him was off the mark.

Asked to comment on suggestions that a group of TDs will not vote for Leo Varadkar to take over as Tánaiste if Mr Martin still leads Fianna Fáil, Mr Martin said he did not “like speculating on speculation and anonymous sources and so on”.

He said the TDs he had spoken to “haven't raised this” with him.

"But I think my focus has to be on the key issues facing the Irish people and I remain very focused. The immediate focus being the budget and the cost-of-living package.

"People are under huge pressure out there at the moment in our society. Households are under pressure. That's where all politicians' focus should be.

"I don't think Irish people would take too well to people navel-gazing or internal analysis when very serious issues have to be dealt with and so my entire energy and focus is on the cost-of-living package and the budget right up to the end of September.” 

Mr Martin said he was not “going to go into numbers” when asked if he thought he would survive a confidence vote.

I'm very clear about my position. The same thing happened last year if you looked at the papers last summer. 

"It is very similar to what's going on in terms of speculation and so on like that.

"The parliamentary party, the vast majority of the parliamentary party, are fully focused on the needs of the Irish people and certainly I've had meetings and discussions on different issues with members of the parliamentary party over the last month.” 

Mr Martin said “all the political focus right now should be on the issues facing the Irish people”.

The Taoiseach said he “wouldn't accept at all” that he was being dismissive of Fianna Fáil TDs.

Everyone knows in politics that cost-of-living is the biggest issue facing people.

“I'm very clear about the identity of Fianna Fáil. I've been a member of Fianna Fáil for a long time and in the context of education policies or housing policies, social protection policies, we are delivering in respect of the Fianna Fáil identity, the Fianna Fáil approach to politics…looking after the less well-off, creating equality of opportunity in education, pro-enterprise in terms of both native industry and Irish-owned companies and facilitating foreign direct investment, as we've been doing today.

"And so it is no big mystery to me to the identity of Fianna Fáil and what it's all about.”