The Chairman of the Fine Gael parliamentary party has said he does not think anything has changed in regard to Enda Kenny's retirement plans.
Speaking on RTÉ’s This Week, Martin Heydon said he expected there would be a discussion around the leadership within the coming weeks and that the appropriate forum for that was within the Fine Gael parliamentary party.
In February, the Taoiseach told a meeting of the party that he would deal with his future effectively and conclusively after St Patrick's Day.
However, while in the US for the festivities he indicated he would not announce any retirement plans until political uncertainty in Northern Ireland is addressed and the EU's negotiating stance on Brexit is agreed.
Mr Kenny said those "immediate priorities" would take precedence over "everything else" on his return to Ireland.
Mr Heydon said that the Taoiseach has clearly stated that he will not lead the party into the next general election and that at some stage in the lifetime of this Government there would be a change of leader.
FG Parliamentary Party Chairman Martin Heydon tells @thisweekrte he doesn't think anything has changed on Enda Kenny's leadership plans pic.twitter.com/vyYD5tB0oa
— RTÉ News (@rtenews) March 19, 2017
He did not believe there was any appetite to table a motion of no confidence if Mr Kenny delays an announcement, he added.
The vast majority of the parliamentary party trusted the Taoiseach in his judgement to know when the time was right to make that transition and that he would do so in the best interests of the country and the party, he said.
