Enda Kenny copperfastened his leadership of Fine Gael yesterday by winning a vote of confidence that was immediately accepted by his defeated opponents.
.In the aftermath of the vote leading members of the front bench who had come out against Mr Kenny made it clear they had no stomach for another challenge.
The margin of victory among the 70-member parliamentary party was kept secret by the agreement of both sides and that has further reinforced the leader’s position.
The fact that Mr Kenny managed to win the support of a majority of his parliamentary party, despite the fact that 11 members of his 19-strong front bench had come out publicly against him, was a remarkable achievement.
After the meeting Mr Kenny postponed a frontbench reshuffle planned for next Monday, saying he wanted to appoint people who had spoken against him as well as for him during the five-hour meeting of the party’s 70 TDs, MEPs and Senators.
There were 49 speakers at the meeting with Mr Kenny speaking at the beginning and the end. His winding up speech was said by supporters to have been powerful and to have left some of them in tears.
Speaking outside Leinster House after the meeting Mr Kenny said he was “thrilled and very relieved” the motion of confidence in him had been endorsed by the parliamentary party.
“We move on from here as a completely united party even though we had a vote on this issue. Our priority now is to have a general election as soon as possible, to have our party move forward – address the issues, concerns and anxieties that affect the Irish people in a country that is almost bankrupt,” he said.
He added that he would take some time to consider the talent within the party and would take account of the suggestions made during the meeting from people on both sides before making a decision.
“I want to take some time to consider all of the talents that we have. I want to talk to lots of people, and I want to put out a team that will reflect the mood of that meeting and the recommendations that were made to me by speakers, both on my own behalf and against the motion of confidence.”
Referring to his challenger, Mr Kenny said: “My relationship, as a friend of Richard Bruton’s, is not broken by this. I made that clear before this vote took place, and that still stands.”
During the parliamentary party meeting Mr Kenny said that he still wanted Mr Bruton to serve on his new front bench despite the former deputy leader’s declared unwillingness to do so.
After the meeting Mr Bruton said the decision of the parliamentary party had to be respected and that it was now up to the members to unite behind Mr Kenny as leader.
Mr Bruton said issues and concerns had been raised and resolved and that the party now needed to convince the public it was capable of forming the next government. Mr Bruton urged his supporters, many of whom came from the party’s front bench, to unite and he denied his challenge had given ammunition to Fianna Fáil.
Although he had previously said it would be hypocritical of him to serve on Mr Kenny’s front bench, having mounted the challenge, Mr Bruton said the matter was “not a decision for today”.
Fine Gael chairman Pádraic McCormack, who delivered the result of the secret ballot, said he considered the vote of confidence to be the end of the leadership issue. He said the question had “damaged the party in the short term” but said the task now was to get the party back to where it was and focus on getting Fianna Fáil out of government.
He expressed hope that Mr Bruton would return as finance spokesman and could serve as the next minister for finance.
Former frontbencher Simon Coveney, who backed Mr Bruton’s challenge, said he supported the party’s decision and that his role in Fine Gael now would be determined by his leader.
Mr Coveney, who did not expect to be back in favour “anytime soon”, said people who had sided with Mr Bruton had a particular responsibility to work hard to heal the wounds and support the decision of the party to endorse Mr Kenny as leader.
Fine Gael MEP Maireád McGuinness said Mr Kenny had given a “stunning” speech to party members and described him as “a man made of steel” who had faced, and overcome, a very tough personal challenge.