LIMERICK Labour Party Deputy, Jan O’Sullivan, has told the Limerick Post that she never promised to support Alan Kelly in his failed bid for leadership of the party.
As the row over Brendan Howlin’s unopposed election as party leader continued this week, the former Education Minister said: “At no stage did I tell Alan Kelly I would second his nomination for party leader”.
Referring to Mr Howlin, she added: “I supported the person I believed is best for the job.”
The Limerick TD, who narrowly retained her Dáil seat in last February’s General Election, had been the centre of speculation that she might be nominated for the leadership but she made no comments in the run-up to the leadership decision regarding that speculation.
Her remarks came as the party denied there was a “stitch-up” in how Mr Howlin was chosen by the six other members of the Labour parliamentary party to succeed Joan Burton.
A Labour Party spokesman has denied there had been manipulation, saying: “That’s unfounded. There’s no truth to that whatsoever.”
He said the election was “run in accordance with the party constitution which was voted for overwhelmingly when it was put to the membership in 2009”.
Speaking earlier in a radio interview, Mr Howlin denied that he had told colleagues he would not run for the leadership if Mr Kelly was nominated.
Asked if he had told Ms O’Sullivan he would quit the race if Mr Kelly was seconded by her or another TD, he said, “I didn’t hear Jan say that and that would not be the character of our discussion”.
He said he did “put forward the notion that we should have a consensus” and he believed this should be unanimous while others thought a majority view would be enough.
Party activists have expressed concerns that there should have been a leadership contest and that members were not given opportunity to choose between two candidates.
