Leo Varadkar warns voters change could ‘risk the economy’

Fine Gael leader Leo Varadkar has said voters should be wary of parties offering change which he claimed would “risk the economy” and the “democratic institutions of our State”.

In the last full Fine Gael press conference of the election campaign, Mr Varadkar attacked both Fianna Fáil and Sinn Féin.

He claimed the election campaign had seen Micheál Martin “flip flop” on issues such as whether Fianna Fáil will implement a rent freeze if it is in government. He also criticised Fianna Fáil’s policy of a offering savings top ups for first time buyers.

He said the SSIA style scheme would “drive up prices” and lead to the “return to the Galway tent”.

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“If that is the kind of leadership Micheál Martin is offering in this, his third election as party leader, is he really fit to be Taoiseach of this country? I don’t think he is.

“And we see the other alternative: Sinn Féin. A manifesto which is the biggest con trick since the 1977 Fianna Fáil manifesto and you can sum it up in simple terms: no USC, no carbon tax, no property tax, no college fees, everything for free, lots of extra spending.

“It is amadáin economics and not the type of thing we can take a chance with in this country. We have a big decision to make as a people in the next few days.”

He also sought to suggest that Sinn Féin in power would threaten the “democratic institutions of our State” such as the courts and An Garda Síochána.

Mr Varadkar said people must consider what “type of change” they want. “The kind of change we want to deliver is the kind of change we need,” he said of Fine Gael. He said the election on Saturday will be “very tight”

First 100 days

The press conference saw Fine Gael outline its commitments for its first 100 days if it is returned to government.

These include a number of its general election manifesto promises, such as publishing legislation to extend free GP care, broadening the help to buy scheme for first time buyers and working on the negotiating guidelines for a an EU-UK trade deal, among other issues.

He urged all Fine Gael candidates to “fight for the very last vote”, adding: “Until the polls close at 10pm on Saturday, I’ll be fighting for the very last vote.”

“I’d advise you to defer writing the obituary just yet,” he added. Mr Varadkar also criticised Mr Martin for comments the Fianna Fáil leader made in which he said Fine Gael had “overplayed” its role in the Brexit negotiations.

“Take Helen McEntee for a second, Helen McEntee had no experience going into the job,” Mr Martin said of the Minister for European Affairs. “She was mental health first. I had dealings with Helen when she was in mental health.”

He said Ms McEntee did an “okay” job in the Brexit talks but was not “directly involved in the negotiations”.

Mr Varadkar said Mr Martin’s comments were “wrong”. “And what he said was bang out of order.” He also defended the Fine Gael campaign and said it has been “about lots of things”.

He said somebody has to “join the dots here” between Brexit, a strong economy, housing and health.

Negative campaign

Elsewhere Fianna Fáil housing spokesman Darragh O’Brien said Fine Gael had run “the most negative campaign in modern Irish history.”

Mr O'Callaghan also rejected the Fine Gael contention that the Fianna Fáil frontbench was not experienced enough. "To listen to Leo Varadkar talk about the Fine Gael A-Team, you'd swear he was Jurgen Klopp managing Liverpool and that Heather Humphreys and Eoghan Murphy and Simon Harris are like Mane, Salah and Firmino. Like, give me a break."

Both Mr O’Callaghan and Mr O’Brien said they could not envisage any situation in which Fine Gael would enter into a grand coalition with Fianna Fáil after the election.