Fine Gael TD Simon Coveney has announced that he is stepping down as Minister – though he will be staying on as a “proud TD” for the time being.
Coveney – who is Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, and has held various Ministerial portfolios since 2011 – made the announcement on social media this morning.
“Last night I spoke to [incoming Fine Gael leader] Simon Harris to inform him that I would not be making myself available to serve in Cabinet when the Dáil resumes next week,” he said.
“I’ll continue to work as a proud TD for Cork South Central, and will of course actively support the Government in the Dáil.”
Last night I spoke to @SimonHarrisTD to inform him that I would not be making myself available to serve in cabinet when the Dáil resumes next week. I’ll continue to work as a proud TD for Cork South Central and will of course actively support the Government in the Dáil.
— Simon Coveney (@simoncoveney) April 2, 2024
Discussing the decision on RTÉ’s Today with Claire Byrne today, Coveney said he didn’t know whether he would be asked to be in the new Fine Gael leaders’ Cabinet, but said he would make Harris’ life easier by choosing to step down. He said the move would help the party’s renewal and bring new ideas to the table.
“I respect the fact he’s made it clear that he wants to create a new look Fine Gael in many ways, to promote new talent in the party,” he said, adding: “…I think a party needs to find a way of renewing itself, refreshing itself, bringing forward, new faces, new voices, new ideas. In many ways, when Leo Varadkar decided to step down a couple of weeks ago, he started that process.”
Asked if he would be running in the next election at all in any capacity, he said that decision was “not for this week,” adding: “I’m a committed TD for Cork South-Central and will continue for foreseeable future.”
The news comes just 2 weeks after Minister of State for Education, Fine Gael TD Josepha Madigan, announced that she had resigned and will not be contesting the next general election, making her the 12th TD from the party to do so.
“I am resigning from my ministerial position”: Yet another Fine Gael TD, Josepha Madigan, has announced she will not contest the next election, bringing the new confirmed total to 11 – a third of the party’s 34 total TDs – with several more undecided.https://t.co/T2xS95GSCs
— gript (@griptmedia) March 22, 2024
That announcement came just days after Leo Varadkar announced he would be resigning as Taoiseach and as Fine Gael leader, and that he had not yet decided if he would be contesting the general election.
Other Fine Gael TDs who have confirmed they are not standing for re-election include Ciarán Cannon, John Paul Phelan, Michael Creed, Charlie Flanagan, Brendan Griffin, Joe McHugh, Fergus O’Dowd, David Stanton, Richard Bruton and Paul Kehoe.
Moreover, other party TDs are understood to be contemplating not contesting the next general election either.