Kenny, Burton face axe as leaders after an Irish political earthquake

pected Mr Kenny will pay the ultimate price for the election failure and he is now likely to fall on his sword before any coalition talks begin.

Outgoing Fine Gael TDs are incensed with the party’s election strategy and are blaming Mr Kenny, his close team of strategists, and senior Cabinet ministers responsible for the election management.

One senior party figure said the election campaign and message “utterly failed” and insisted Mr Kenny should take full responsibility for the election bloodbath.

Another Kenny loyalist said it was likely the Taoiseach would step aside to be replaced by Justice Minister Frances Fitzgerald, who will then handle coalition negotiations with Fianna Fail.

However, other FG figures suggested Ms Fitzgerald also has questions to answer over her role as chair of the party’s election strategy committee.

A senior party source said: “Enda will see this himself. He’s a decent person, so people will be reluctant to push him — but Enda will feel duty bound to play his part in keeping the recovery going and that means allowing a new government to be formed.”

Another Fine Gael TD said: “It has been a challenging election. Enda Kenny will have to take his share of responsibility for that. It’s hard to see how he can continue.”

Frances Fitzgerald, who retained her seat in Dublin Mid-West, said it was a “very difficult day”, but she refused to be drawn on Mr Kenny’s future.

“I think he’s done an amazing job and I expect that when we come back, the big job is to form a stable Government. You and the country needs that. I expect that’s what the Taoiseach will be trying to do on the return on the 10th of March,” she said

Former Taoiseach Bertie Ahern told the Sunday Independent that Mr Kenny “made one hell of a mistake not going in November”.

“The call of delaying the election was crazy,” he said.

The ex-Fianna Fail leader said the onus was now on Mr Martin to meet all the political blocks in the new Dail in order to try form a government.

“It’s too early to talk about a ‘Grand Coalition’,” Mr Ahern said last night.