Micheál Martin rules out 2019 General Election

The leader of the second largest party in the Dail - who are currently part of a confidence and supply agreement with Fine Gael - has agreed a one-year extension of this agreement.

Speaking in the Dáil this afternoon, Mr Martin explained his reasons: “We’re in a time of heightened danger for Ireland as the risk of a no-deal Brexit increases.”

He added “Fianna Fáil is determined that the political chaos we see in London will not be allowed to spread to Ireland...My party entered this agreement in 2016 because it was the only way of being true to what we had promised our voters while also fulfilling the basic democratic responsibility on any parliament to form a government.”

He argues that the promise of an election would be time-consuming, at a time when this was not "in the national interest."

“We simply do not believe that the national interest could in any way be served by taking up to four months during next year to schedule and hold an election campaign and then form a government."

The confidence and supply deal - which has propped up a Fine Gael minority government for almost three years - was being reviewed in recent weeks, with meetings taking place between members in both parties.

Issues such housing, health and the economy were no doubt on the cards during these talks, but Michael Martin's comments today mean that the government will be sustained until 2020 at the very earliest.

“Fianna Fáil will extend a guarantee that government will be able to operate throughout 2019. This will allow the introduction of any emergency legislation and budgets, as well as the full end of year Budget and associated legislation. This will in turn allow the holding of an election early in the following year.

"No one can now seriously question that our decision was the right one for Ireland," he said.