Minister for Health Leo Varadkar has ruled out a role for Lucinda Creighton’s Renua party in a new coalition government.

Mr Varadkar said he did not think a three-party government, involving Fine Gael, Labour and Renua, would work.

"Particularly when they talk about their red lines, such as the flat tax and some of the other more exotic policies, they'd have to pretty much give up all their red lines and I don't see them doing that," he said in an interview with The Irish Times.

Mr Varadkar said Ms Creighton “probably would have had a really good future in Fine Gael” if she had remained in the party, “but she’s made her decision and has gone elsewhere”.

In July 2013, Ms Creighton, who was then a minister of state, forfeited her Fine Gael parliamentary party membership when she voted against Protection of Life During Pregnancy Bill.

Mr Varadkar said it was “hard to see much commonality” between Fine Gael and the Social Democrats, “notwithstanding the fact that there are some very good TDs there at the helm, very bright people”. Three prominent former Independent TDs – Catherine Murphy, Stephen Donnelly and Róisín Shortall – came together to form the Social Democrats in July.

Occasional frustrations

Mr Varadkar said he had “occasional frustrations” with Fine Gael and sometimes dissented from the party line, but believed a big party could “bring the country in a different direction”.

Turning to his chances of re-election, Mr Varadkar described Dublin West as a “volatile” constituency. Neither he nor his constituency colleague Tánaiste and Labour Party leader Joan Burton had safe seats, he insisted.

Responding to former minister for justice Alan Shatter’s thinly veiled criticisms of his performance in the Department of Health at this week’s Fine Gael parliamentary party meeting, Mr Varadkar said the Dublin South TD had never approached him with concerns.

Door open

“If it is about health, and I am interested in the future not the past – the past should be a place of reference not a place of relevance – and if he does want to speak to me about the future of the health service and any ways he can help, my door is open.”

Mr Shatter praised Mr Varadkar’s predecessor, James Reilly, saying he had managed the health service at a time when budgets were being significantly reduced. This was taken as a slight against Mr Varadkar, who helped to raise pressure on Mr Shatter during the whistleblowers’ controversy that led to his resignation as minister.

Meanwhile, two Labour TDs have said their party would be unlikely to go into government as part of a coalition that relied on the support of a third political party or a clutch of Independents.

Ciarán Lynch, Labour TD for Cork South Central, said party members would not accept a government which involved Michael Lowry or other Independents.

“It is my view that the party membership will not support a government based on a three-legged stool,” he said.

Clare TD Michael McNamara also said a deal involving the support of Independent TDs was unlikely to be supported by Labour members.