A Fine Gael TD has called for a clear-out at the top level of the party including the chairman Tom Curran.

John Paul Phelan told The Irish Times Inside Politics podcast he believed discussions on the leadership should take place after the Budget.

However Mr Phelan said changes should not be constrained to Enda Kenny as leader.

Asked if that stretched to Mr Curran and Mr Kenny’s special advisors he said: “Yes. We just don’t know when the election is going to happen, that is the imponderable.

"We have to learn... Every election campaign Fianna Fáil fought, there seemed to be different, new people involved in every different campaign.

“There is a string of them and they have moved on to do other things in other walks of life. In Fine Gael we haven’t.”

Mr Phelan said the poor result in February’s general election was not solely the fault of Mr Kenny.

He said the Taoiseach had accepted responsibility for the election result at the parliamentary away day this week.

However Mr Phelan said the party missed the expertise of former minister for the environment Phil Hogan and former advisor Frank Flannery.

He said the “huge political” gaps were not filled by Fine Gael.

Questions over Mr Kenny’s departure have been raised since the Fine Gael away day when he told the party he would not stand aside until 2018.

A group of backbenchers are contemplating tabling a motion after the Budget, although it is acknowledged that Mr Kenny would likely win. None of the main leadership contenders are likely to back any such motion.

One of the group of rebel TDs said they would nevertheless continue to “snipe away for six months until we can put one down again”, spelling out a determined effort by some to harry Mr Kenny.

Supporters of the Taoiseach do not believe a motion will be tabled, with many TDs angry that the question of his leadership has been raised once more.