Cox denies he will re-enter Irish politics

PAT COX, former President of the European Parliament, has denied he is about to re-enter Irish politics and run in next summer’s General Election.

There have been persistent rumours for the past few weeks that intermediaries for both Fine Gael and the Progressive Democrats have been talking to Mr Cox.

He held a seat for the PDs in Cork South Central in 1992 and party sources say they were interested in him contesting the seat again.

The source said there were talks between Mr Cox and Mary Harney when she was still leader of the party and they have continued since with Michael McDowell’s support.

“They were getting a reasonable response from him,” the source said, adding that Mr McDowell was prepared to offer him the party presidency after the election.

Fine Gael’s director of elections, Phil Hogan, denied they were having discussions with Mr Cox.

However, sources insist that senior Fine Gael members approached Mr Cox asking him to join the party and contest a Dáil seat.

But he recently rejected the approach.

He joined the PDs shortly after they were founded and topped the poll in the European Elections in Munster in 1989.

He held onto Pearse Wyse’ seat for the party in Cork South Central in 1992. He lost the party leadership contest to Mary Harney and left the party in 1994 after she wanted him to contest the European elections in Dublin.

In protest he resigned from the Dáil and ran as an independent in the European elections in Munster when he beat Mr O’Malley for the seat.