Labour Party TD Alan Kelly has said he is sticking to his stance on the Presidential Election and will not support Catherine Connolly, nor will the Labour councillors in his area.
Speaking at Labour's meeting ahead of the autumn Dáil and Seanad session, which is being held in Nenagh, Co Tipperary, in his constituency, he said that he respects the position of the party in backing the Independent Galway-West TD and the issue is not festering.
He added that this is the best parliamentary party he has ever been apart of and it is able to have open debates.
Labour Leader Ivana Bacik revealed that Mr Kelly and herself had frank discussions on the matter but 86% of the party's decision-making body opted to support Ms Connolly.
Ms Bacik said the talkswith Mr Kelly would remain private and she would not say if she had threatened to change the location of the party’s annual think-in after his intervention last month.
She described Ms Connolly as a standard-bearer for the left in this election, which Ivana Bacik said was the "most immediate" next step in the long haul project of getting a left government elected in 2029.
However, she criticised Sinn Féin over what she believes is dithering by the party around the approach it will take to the presidential election, adding that they are waiting to see which way the wind is blowing.
The Labour leader branded the current government a "conservative coalition of chaos".
She said an alternative left government is needed to create an active State that would deliver housing and effective cost of living supports for people.
Labour Party holds policy discussions in Tipperary
Housing policies, along with its alternative budget proposals, were among the items on the party's agenda at the meeting in Nenagh today.
Labour is likely to prioritise help for families with energy costs, with the party also putting focus on child poverty.
Labour is opposed to tax breaks and on personal tax the party is examining indexation to take account of wage growth.
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