A Brexit bromance
Controversial minister insists Kenny must stay on as Taoiseach for at least TWO more years
THE Taoiseach must stay on for a ‘minimum’ of two years to negotiate Brexit an Enda Kenny arch loyalist has told the Irish Mail on Sunday.
European Minister Dara Murphy said last night: ‘I certainly feel that he should stay in office right through the next 24 months at a minimum.’
This will come as a blow to those in Fine Gael who hoped Mr Kenny would step down as early as May of this year.
Mr Murphy came to prominence in 2015 when he and his wife took a 200km lift in a Garda car to catch a flight to Brussels – for a meeting that was ultimately cancelled.
His initial failure to disclose the fact that no meeting had taken place on the day of his flight – revealed in the MoS – led to speculation within Fine Gael that he would be demoted. But the Taoiseach stood by him.
The pair are close and Fine Gael TDs believe Mr Murphy’s comments reflect Mr Kenny’s determination to stay on to negotiate Brexit.
‘The terms of Britain leaving the EU – the Article 50 process that is fixed as a two-year process in law – [requires] a very strong period of political stability on this island, north and south,’ said Mr Murphy.
‘It would certainly not be in our national interest to change the Irish negotiating team. The Taoiseach should stay in office right through the next 24 months or 26 months at a minimum.’
However, with Fianna Fáil surging ahead in the latest opinion poll, the choice may be taken out of Fine Gael’s hands.
Support for the Government party dropped three points to 23% in the first few weeks of the year while Mr Kenny’s personal rating dropped four points to 29%. Fianna Fáil rose one point to 29% in the Sunday Times Behaviour and Attitudes Poll.
Mr Murphy’s comments are the clearest indication from within Mr Kenny’s camp that he intends to stay on as Taoiseach. His supporters believe that he is key to Ireland securing a special deal on border control, trade and the movement of peoples in Brexit negotiations.
‘These decisions will be taken by the 27 prime ministers. The senior negotiators across Europe are all people that the Taoiseach has a long personal relationship with. Nobody in our party has anything approaching the same level of personal relationship with these key people.’
Mr Murphy made a strong case for Mr Kenny staying on at the Fine Gael parliamentary party meeting on Wednesday. A number of TDs told the MoS that his speech was ‘fawning’ – which he rejects.
He said: ‘It is very important that we hold our political leaders to account but, equally, it is important that there are voices that are robust and willing to say and identify the strengths of the Taoiseach and not be accused of being fawning or anything else.’
Mr Murphy also rejected claims that he was being critical of Dublin Bay South TD Kate O’Connell, who recently stated that a younger generation should take over the Brexit negotiations and that Fine Gael should not ‘blindly accept because of Enda Kenny’s experience that he is the best man for the job’.
‘I’m not criticising her – she’s an excellent young TD with a fantastic future ahead of her. I’m not commenting on what she has said. But I am making my points,’ Mr Murphy said.
‘Mr Kenny has a long relationship with leaders’ ‘I’m not criticising Kate O’Connell’s remarks’