Richard Bruton to step down from politics at next general election 

He is among a number of Fine Gael TDs set to retire from politics 

Fine Gael TD Richard Bruton

Fine Gael TD and former Cabinet minister Richard Bruton is to stand down at the next election.

It is understood that Mr Bruton will inform his constituency organisation in Dublin Bay North of his decision not to contest the next general election later today.

Mr Bruton was contacted for comment but did not immediately respond.  Fine Gael has also not commented publicly on the matter.

He is among a number of Fine Gael TDs to announce that they would not be contesting the next general election.

In recent months, former agriculture minister Michael Creed announced he would not run again, alongside other TDs like Brendan Griffin, John Paul Phelan, Joe McHugh, and David Stanton.

The Dublin Bay North TD was first elected to the Dáil in the 1982 General Election. 

Mr Bruton is currently the joint father of the Dáil alongside Fianna Fáil TD Willie O’Dea. 

Mr Bruton first entered Cabinet in 1994 as the Minister for Enterprise and Employment in the Rainbow Coalition of Fine Gael, Labour and Democratic Left. After Fine Gael returned to opposition in 1997, he continued on as a frontbench spokesperson.

Under Enda Kenny’s leadership of Fine Gael, Mr Bruton became the party’s deputy leader. However, in 2010 he undertook a failed leadership challenge against Mr Kenny, having been backed by the likes of Leo Varadkar and Simon Coveney.

Despite being removed as the party’s finance spokesperson, Mr Bruton returned to Cabinet in 2011 as Enterprise Minister, before serving as Education Minister and then Environment Minister. He was not returned to the Cabinet after the 2020 election, but was elected as Chairman of the Fine Gael parliamentary party.