Leo Varadkar says he is not planning for a general election in 2024

The Taoiseach has said he is not planning for a general election to be held this year.

Leo Varadkar said he did not favour an early election prior to the Dail’s full term ending in early 2025.

A general election must be held by March next year, so Mr Varadkar’s comments suggest he is supportive of a repeat of 2020’s February polling day.

Asked in an interview with RTE Radio One’s This Week programme whether there would be a general election this year, he replied: “I’m not planning one.”

He added: “It is, of course, the Taoiseach’s prerogative to seek a dissolution of the Dail and therefore to call an election, but I’m not planning an early election.

“My priority is to focus on doing what the people want us to do.

“And that’s building more homes, it’s helping families with the cost of living, putting more money back in people’s pockets, it’s focusing on law and order, building safer and stronger communities and also safeguarding the economic progress that we’ve made, which we shouldn’t take for granted.

“So that’s my focus as Taoiseach, it’s the focus of the Government and we’ll fight elections when they come.”

He added: “I haven’t set a date nor do I have a date in my mind for the next general election.”

Mr Varadkar also played down the significance of the fact that at least eight of his Fine Gael TDs have indicated they will not run again at the next election.

“That’s normal in the political process that people will move on for all sorts of different reasons,” he said.

On his own political ambitions, Mr Varadkar would not be drawn on whether the coming general election would be his last as Fine Gael leader.

“I think Fine Gael will be in government after the next election,” he said.

The Taoiseach added: “I am 21 years in politics.

“I’ve been elected five times now by my community, both to the council and to the Dail.

“It is a privilege. It’s something I’m very grateful for. It’s something that I don’t take for granted.

“And I am continuing to work very hard in my job as party leader, as consistency TD, also as minister and also as Taoiseach.”