Outgoing Minister for Education Ruairí Quinn said a “new generation” should get a chance to rebuild and lead the Labour Party, when he announced his resignation from the Government yesterday.

He will stand down when the Cabinet is reshuffled following the election of a new Labour leader this week.

Mr Quinn also said he did not intend to contest the next general election, when he spoke to reporters on the plinth outside Leinster House.

“I will not seek to continue as a member of Government after the election of the new leader of the Labour Party. My resignation as Minister will take effect on the day that the Taoiseach and Tánaiste announce their reshuffle,” he said.

“I want to ensure that the new leader of my party, whoever that may be, has the opportunity to create their own team on their own terms. An opportunity to give a new generation a chance to lead, a chance to rebuild our party.”

Reshuffle

The new Labour Party leader will be announced tomorrow, with Minister for Social Protection Joan Burton regarded as being well ahead of her rival for the position, Minister of State for Primary Care Alex White. The reshuffle could take place as early as next Tuesday.

Mr Quinn had not been expected to retain a seat at Cabinet in the reshuffle.

He said all politicians had to make the decision to step down at some stage.

“This day was going to come some time. It’s come perhaps a bit sooner than I would have liked or perhaps I anticipated, but come it has,” he said.

“I decided the best thing for me to do was to clear the path for the next generation of leadership within the Labour Party.”

Asked if he would encourage other colleagues to do the same, Mr Quinn said he would not, because it was an “individual decision” that each person had to make.

Mr Quinn said Labour had taken a “hard hit” in the recent local and European elections. The new leader had a lot of work to do and his departure would give the new leader more options.

“I believe that the new leader, Joan or Alex, can do that work with the support of a new generation of politicians.”

Petulance

When asked if his resignation could be viewed as an act of petulance because he did not want to give Ms Burton the opportunity to sack him, Mr Quinn said: “I don’t think I’m known for my petulance.”

He insisted his relationship with Ms Burton was “very, very good”.

Mr Quinn said he had already voted in the leadership contest but declined to tell reporters which candidate he had voted for, adding: “It’s a secret ballot”.

He said he had spoken to Taoiseach Enda Kenny, Tánaiste Eamon Gilmore and Ms Burton in advance of announcing his decision.

The new leader and Ministers who represent the Labour Party in Government would have his full support “as a member of Dáil Éireann”.

He thanked the Labour leaders who had previously promoted him to ministerial office, Dick Spring and Eamon Gilmore.