Taoiseach Brian Cowen insisted today he enjoyed the full support of his party and his Government colleagues as speculation continued about his leadership in wake of last week’s controversial radio interview.
Speaking to reporters in Dublin, Mr Cowen said he was not a leader “on probation” and had the full support of his parliamentary party.
He rejected a suggestion from former government chief whip Tom Kitt that it was time for a new Fianna Fáil leader, saying “there are formal processes for those issues if anyone is minded to do so”.
“There are serious challenges facing our country…and everyone, as far as I’m concerned, want us to get on with the job in hand,” he said.
Standing by Mr Cowen's side following their weekly pre-budget meeting, Minister for Finance Brian Lenihan dismissed suggestions the Taoiseach's position was under threat.
Asked about internal party rumblings within Fianna Fáil, Mr Lenihan said the most important rumblings he was interested in were the rumblings on world financial markets.
Earlier, Mr Kitt said "the time had come" for a new Fianna Fáil leader. Speaking on RTÉ radio, Mr Kitt said the public wanted to connect with a leader and that was not happening with Mr Cowen.
“The time has come to move on to new leadership. Everyone out there understands the need for tough decisions. But equally they want people to create a climate of positivity," he said.
Mr Kitt called for a meeting of the parliamentary party to discuss “where we go from here.”
Mr Cowen's position as party leader and as Taoiseach has been the subject of discussion since his interview on RTÉ's Morning Ireland last Tuesday.
Senior Fianna Fáil Cabinet members today dismissed suggestions Mr Cowen's leadership was under threat, insisting he had the party's backing.
Minister for Justice Dermot Ahern said Fianna Fáil and the Cabinet were united behind Mr Cowen as Taoiseach and wanted to continue its work for the remainder of the Dáil term.
Speaking in his constituency after a meeting with Northern Secretary Owen Paterson, Mr Ahern said ongoing speculation about Mr Cowen's future as Taoiseach was an "unfortunate distraction".
"We want to get on with the job that we were elected to do," he said, expressing dismay at the ongoing controversy following Mr Cowen's RTÉ interview last Tuesday.
"The country is facing significant challenges. These things are unfortunate diversions, but that's life. We really do want to get on with it. We would have thought that after the initial couple of days it would have been the end of it."
Despite everything Fianna Fáil remained united, despite the individual concerns of some back-benchers, Mr Ahern added.
Earlier in the day, Mr Lenihan insisted there was no foundation for claims that he was “mounting a coup” or “talking to backbenchers” about the leadership of Fianna Fáil.
He said Mr Cowen had his full support. He said there had been no approaches to him by backbenchers.
“No backbenchers have been very respectful of me. And nobody has suggested to me that I should make a move. To the best of my knowledge there is no move.
Fianna Fáil TD Mary O‘Rourke echoed Mr Lenihan’s statement, saying until Mr Cowen decided he wanted to go, there was no vacancy.
Speaking on RTÉ's Morning Ireland show today, she said there was no appetite for a heave against Mr Cowen within the party.
“Most people think that a heave is unwarranted and that is not a natural way of dealing with a very good person, an intelligent bright man like Brian Cowen who works really hard. They don’t want to see that happening,” she said.
“Neither do they want to lose their seats and that’s the fear that’s gripping many people.” However, Ms O’Rourke said she wished the Taoiseach would take advice on how to improve his communication skills.
Minister for Enterprise Batt O’Keeffe said there was “no question” over the Taoiseach’s leadership. “It's very obvious to me that the Taoiseach is going to continue in position,” he said.
He said he was not getting any signals of unease from backbenchers about Mr Cowen's leadership.
“The Taoiseach will be the first to admit that his interview with Morning Ireland was below par and that there will have to be an improvement into the future and indicated as well significantly, that it will not happen again.”
There has been mounting speculation about Mr Cowen’s position since his radio interview last Tuesday. He has since apologised for his performance in the interview, which followed a late night at Fianna Fáil’s annual think-in, at a hotel in Galway.