Alan Kelly has announced he is to resign as Labour Party leader after less than two years after being informed by parliamentary colleagues that they had lost confidence in him.
Delivering a public statement at Leinster House on Wednesday evening, Mr Kelly acknowledged that the party had not made progress in the opinion polls under his leadership.
Surrounded by his party colleagues, he said: “I am resigning as leader of the Labour Party.
“I was advised by my parliamentary colleagues on Tuesday morning that they had lost collective confidence in my leadership.
“This was a surprise to me but I accept the decision.
“We had a number of frank discussions in recent weeks.”
Mr Kelly added: “I have to acknowledge that we haven’t been able as a party to move on in the opinion polls and I have deep regret about that.
“We didn’t get the bounce I would have hoped for over the past two years, and the pandemic restricted my ability to put forward my politics and bring forward the progress I had really hoped for.
“It is also a reality that it has been hard for us as a party very much associated with 2011-2016, for those of us who were involved in that government to move on.
“I think it is time now that we did.”
Mr Kelly was linked to the Fine Gael-Labour coalition between 2011-2016 and the introduction of tough austerity measures.
Mr Kelly said he would remain as leader until his successor is elected.
He said: “I have been involved in Labour Party politics literally all of my life. I don’t remember not being in the Labour Party.
“Every election I have ever contested, I have been very, very fortunate to have won.
“I would have appreciated the opportunity to have led us into the next general election to show what I could have done as leader.
“But I respect that will not be the case.”
Mr Kelly appeared emotional as he added: “Becoming leader of the Labour Party was the best political day of my life. I was very humbled and overwhelmed by the support I got.
“The parliamentary party have expressed their collective view and for that reason I have decided to step down.
“I want to wish whoever is the next leader the very best of luck and I sincerely mean that.
“I have no interest in a rancorous or divisive debate within the party and I won’t be engaging in one.
“When the new leader is elected in a short few weeks I guarantee I will do everything I can to support that leader.”
The PA news agency understands that Ivana Bacik, who won a seat in the Dublin Bay South constituency last July, is tipped to succeed Mr Kelly.
Mr Kelly, known for his at-times combative exchanges in the Dail, has not been able to reverse the party’s static polling rates, which have hovered in the low single digits in recent months.
He took over the party two years ago from Brendan Howlin as the country grappled with the Covid-19 pandemic in the wake of the Irish general election in 2020.
Earlier on Wednesday, Mr Kelly had been quizzing Taoiseach Micheal Martin in the Dail on the Government’s decision not to expel the Russian ambassador.
One major success for the party during his time as leader was the election of Ms Bacik last summer.
