Varadkar backs off confidence and supply talks deadline
Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has backed down on his Halloween confidence and supply deal talks deadline after a senior official reversed tack and said the date was “never a deadline, it was more of a target”.
Mr Varadkar’s spokesperson said that while the Taoiseach still wants to secure a two-year deal he accepts it may take until December to forge an agreement.
Last Tuesday, Mr Varadkar said he wanted the confidence and supply deal negotiations wrapped up as soon as possible.
Dismissing Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin’s plan to put forward “a review time-frame running up to Christmas”, Mr Varadkar instead said he wanted a deal struck “by the Halloween break”.
The deadline became a sticking point between the two leaders with neither willing to back down in recent days.
However, speaking at the weekly post-Cabinet media briefing, Mr Varadkar’s spokesperson said the Halloween date is now off the table, saying “it was never a deadline, it was more of a target” and that the Taoiseach just wants to avoid any “dilly-dallying”.
The U-turn by Mr Varadkar effectively means Mr Martin has won round one in the confidence and supply talks, which are set to begin in earnest next week after both leaders met on Monday night to outline the rules of engagement.
It also came as senior Fianna Fáil TD and justice spokesman Jim O’Callaghan — who is likely to be named on his party’s four-TD strong negotiation team later this week — reiterated Mr Martin’s talks schedule, saying he expects a deal to be done by Christmas.
“I would hope so, that we would know by then,” he said. “As you know, I was part of the talks in 2016 at Trinity College.
They went on for six weeks or so, maybe seven weeks, of all our lives down there. I would hope this process wouldn’t take as long and that by Christmas we would be aware of whether it’s going to be renewed or not.
The party’s Brexit spokeswoman, Lisa Chambers, said: “There is no doubt in my mind London and Brussels are watching us so we need to ensure we do present that united front.”
Meanwhile, it has emerged that Mr Varadkar has not spoken to former communications minister Denis Naughten since the Independent TD resigned from cabinet on Thursday.
Mr Varadkar’s spokesperson also said he did not know who in the Government spoke to Independent TD Michael Lowry to guarantee his support at the weekend and rejected claims he has been given a personal deal to keep the Taoiseach in power.
The latest Ipsos/MRBI opinion poll published in the Irish Times placed Fine Gael on 33% and Fianna Fáil on 25%, figures which are respectively up two points and down one point on the previous poll by the same group.
Labour leader Brendan Howlin, whose party is on 4%, according to the poll, said: “Bluntly, I would believe there should be a general election right now.”
