FINE GAEL deputy leader Richard Bruton phoned members of the party’s front bench over the weekend to sound out levels of support for his leadership bid.
The move came as Enda Kenny insisted he would lead the party into the next general election.
Senior frontbench figures last night called for unity and urged Mr Kenny’s critics within the party to “pull back”, but events are expected to come to a head when the front bench holds its weekly meeting tomorrow morning.
Mr Bruton would not comment yesterday but supporters said he was preparing to challenge Mr Kenny tomorrow. Mr Kenny and his supporters have also been calling frontbench members in an effort to shore up support. A Fine Gael press officer insisted Mr Kenny would lead the party into the next general election.
Bruton supporters claimed between half and two-thirds of the 18-member front bench were opposed to Mr Kenny, while those in the Kenny camp insisted only a small minority of the shadow cabinet did not back the leader.
Mr Kenny’s leadership was endorsed publicly yesterday by frontbenchers Phil Hogan, Paul Kehoe, Alan Shatter, Dr James Reilly, Charlie Flanagan, Jimmy Deenihan, Michael Ring and Senator Frances Fitzgerald.
Another frontbencher Simon Coveney issued a statement through the Fine Gael press office. It called for party unity and added: “The party should deal with the challenges facing it in a united fashion. The immediate focus has to be on the upcoming motion of no confidence in An Taoiseach, Brian Cowen.”
Leo Varadkar expressed support as recently as the weekend, but had no comment to make yesterday.
Those who could not be reached for comment, or did not want to speak on the record, also included Michael Creed, Olivia Mitchell, Olwyn Enright, Brian Hayes, Billy Timmins, Denis Naughten and Fergus O’Dowd.
Some Bruton supporters were claiming the backing of Ms Mitchell, Mr Hayes, Mr Timmins and possibly Mr Coveney, Mr Varadkar, Mr Creed and Ms Enright.
Fine Gael members were unsettled by the Irish Times/Ipsos MRBI opinion poll last week, showing Fine Gael in second place to Labour and Mr Kenny's personal rating down seven points to 24 per cent. A number of party figures who currently support Mr Kenny said his position as leader would have to be looked at again if polls continued to show poor results.
The timing of the possible challenge could prove embarrassing for Fine Gael as the Government’s motion of confidence in Taoiseach Brian Cowen will also be debated tomorrow. This follows Mr Kenny’s decision to propose a motion of no confidence in Mr Cowen late last Wednesday night, after reading the reports into the causes of the banking crisis by Central Bank governor Patrick Honohan and international banking experts Klaus Regling and Max Watson.
Mr Hogan, who described himself as “fully supportive of the leadership of Enda Kenny”, called on party members to “pull back and get behind the leadership”. A challenge at this point would be a “futile and naive exercise”, he said.
Mr Flanagan said: “Fine Gael should be very mindful of past bloodbaths. This is not the time for internal strife that will undoubtedly leave serious wounds and long-term scars. Enda Kenny is the leader of Fine Gael and he has my support.”
Dr Reilly, who also said Mr Kenny had his “full support”, said the leader’s opponents were in the minority. He refused to name them, saying they should be “man enough and woman enough to say it themselves”.
A Fine Gael spokesman said last night that after taking 70 years to get ahead of Fianna Fáil for the last 25 polls, the party was not going to be distracted by “a panicked over-reaction by some to one poll, the authors of which have already stated that the polling methodology will be amended”. He added that Mr Kenny’s focus was on the motion of no confidence in Brian Cowen in the Dáil and delivering for all party supporters around the country.
Mr Kenny’s supporters claimed last night that he had the committed support of at least 42 members of the 69-strong parliamentary party of TDs, senators and MEPs.
However, Mr Bruton’s supporters continued to insist that there was a majority against the leader.