Taoiseach Enda Kenny has given a commitment to step down as Fine Gael leader during his next term of office if he wins the forthcoming general election.

The first definitive pronouncement by Mr Kenny about his future intentions means there will be a leadership contest in Fine Gael midway through a second term if the party is returned to power.

If he does not become Taoiseach after the next election, Mr Kenny is likely to resign immediately as party rules trigger an immediate vote of confidence in a leader who loses an election.

Mr Kenny moved to clarify his long-term intentions following a suggestion by Government chief whip Paul Kehoe that he would lead Fine Gael into the election after next and beyond.

Speaking in Co Mayo yesterday, Mr Kenny said his chief whip had used “a lot of poetic licence” in stating last week that he would serve another full term and lead Fine Gael into the election after next.

“It would be very arrogant and presumptuous of any public representative to assume that they can be elected to anything, myself included, until the people vote,” said Mr Kenny.

“I have no intention of staying beyond the remit of the next Government.”

Mr Kenny said it was firstly a matter for the people who governed the party and his priority was to finish the job to get the country back to work.

He said it was his intention to win the forthcoming general election and lead another Fine Gael-Labour coalition.

If he manages to win a second term, he will be the first Fine Gael leader to do so.

There was already a widespread view in the parliamentary party that if he secured a second term, Mr Kenny (64) would stand down halfway through, probably in the middle of 2018.

If he is still in office at that stage, he will have been leader of the party for 16 years and a member of the Dáil for 43.

Senior Fine Gael politicians were astounded at Mr Kehoe’s comments last week and believed they had the potential to damage the party’s election prospects if allowed to go unchallenged.

Contenders

No Fine Gael-Labour coalition has ever been returned for a second term and recent opinion polls indicate both parties need to make up a lot of ground if they are to break with past performance.

The prospect of Mr Kenny continuing on indefinitely added another potential problem and there was relief yesterday that he moved to clarify the issue.

His move is reminiscent of British prime minister David Cameron’s announcement on the eve of the UK election campaign that if returned to office he would not lead the Conservative Party into the next election.

Mt Kenny’s announcement has focused attention on the likely contenders to replace him.

Minister for Agriculture Simon Coveney (43) and Minister for Health Leo Varadkar (36) have been regarded as the frontrunners in the succession stakes for some time and both have a support base in the parliamentary party.

Mr Coveney, from Cork, is regarded as representing the traditional wing of the party and he has strong support among Munster TDs, while Mr Varadkar, who announced that he was gay in advance of the same-sex marriage referendum, has the backing of a number of Dublin TDs, particularly the younger ones.

There is also growing support for Minister for Justice Frances Fitzgerald (65) as a compromise leader.