The race to become the next leader of the Labour Party gets under way later today, following the announcement by Brendan Howlin this week that he is to stand down
The race to become the next leader of the Labour Party gets under way later today, following the announcement by Brendan Howlin this week that he is to stand down. It is widely expected that Tipperary TD, Alan Kelly, will enter the contest, with Louth TD, Ged Nash, and Dublin Bay North TD, Aodhán Ó Ríordáin, also considered to be front runners.
The executive board of the Labour Party will meet at 11am to set the rules for the contest, which was triggered by Mr Howlin's decision to stand down after holding the position since 2016. Cork East TD, Sean Sherlock, has already said he will not contest the leadership race, while the new Dublin Fingal TD, Duncan Smith, said his candidacy was unlikely. Mr Kelly, the party’s health spokesman, is widely expected to enter the fray, with Ged Nash telling RTÉ he was "actively considering" a run, and Mr Ó Ríordáin also anticipated to throw his hat in the ring. It is likely that the contest will last around six weeks, with the winner being decided by a majority vote of the party membership. Whoever takes over will have to reboot a party which expected to gain seats in a General Election defined by change - but ended up returning with only six seats, one less than in the previous Dáil. Earlier this week, Mr Howlin said that now was the right time to step down as Labour leader, for himself and for the party. He said he did not regret the role Labour played in government from 2011 to 2016, saying it had helped fix the country's economic woes but had also made mistakes, including promising things it could not deliver in office. Mr Howlin said he would not be backing any candidate and that a decision on the new leader would be a matter for the party membership.
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