Frank Flannery meets Taoiseach ahead of possible return to FG

Former Rehab director and Fine Gael strategist Frank Flannery could be set for a surprise return to the party as it gears up for the general election.

The Irish Times has learned Mr Flannery was spotted in the company of Taoiseach Enda Kenny in the days after the Christmas period. The pair are understood to have met privately in the Cellar Bar of the Merrion Hotel, opposite the Department of the Taoiseach in Government Buildings.

Mr Flannery declined to comment when contacted last night. Party sources said Mr Flannery has not been lined up for any position but there have been requests from some for him to return. It is unclear what the purpose of the meeting was, or who instigated it.

Speaking before Christmas, Mr Kenny said he still regarded the former strategist as “a friend” and said “there are always opportunities for people to give of their best”.

“I always regard Frank Flannery as a friend of mine, and he still is,” the Taoiseach said in a briefing with political correspondents.

“You know friends can differ over different things now and again. There are always opportunities for people to give of their best. So if I meet Frank Flannery in the street . . . I will have a chat with him and a cup of coffee: why wouldn’t I?”

A spokesman for Mr Kenny said last night: “As the Taoiseach said at a press briefing before Christmas, Frank Flannery has been a friend for many years and he would be more than happy to have a cup of coffee if they met.”

The spokesman refused to comment on the specifics of “any supposed meeting between the Taoiseach and Mr Flannery”.

Mr Flannery resigned his position as Fine Gael's director of organisation and strategy last year when details of his lobbying for Rehab emerged. Mr Flannery defied calls from the Taoiseach to appear before the Public Accounts Committee, causing acute political embarrassment.

Since his resignation, he has criticised Fine Gael’s approach in Government on numerous occasions. He told the MacGill Summer School the party’s local elections campaign was “one of the worst I ever saw”. He also said the Government must stop acting like it is “a dictator”.

Recent months have seen Mr Kenny step up his preparations for the election, with Minister for Justice Frances Fitzgerald appointed to chair Fine Gael's election strategy committee.

Ms Fitzgerald will be making decisions on candidates, which was Mr Flannery's responsibility in previous elections. Mr Flannery previously had a close working relationship with general secretary Tom Curran and Mark Mortell, another Fine Gael strategist who has become more involved in recent months.