The bookies aren’t often wrong…
Enda Kenny announced that he will step down as Fine Gael leader at midnight on Wednesday, following a long spell as leader of the party.
We guess that’s the End-a his leadership… we’re so, so sorry, that won’t happen again.
Kenny was elected as party leader on June 2, 2002, which means that the deadline for a new leader of the Fine Gael Party will be the 15th anniversary of election as leader.
The current Father of the Dáil (longest serving member) is also Enda Kenny, who was elected to Leinster House all the way back in November 1975.
But who will replace Kenny as Fine Gael leader and Taoiseach?
Well at this moment, there’s two obvious frontrunners. Leo Varadkar and Simon Coveney are the bookies favourites to come out on top in the leadership contest and become party leaders.
But even among those pair, the bookies seem to think that it’s Varadkar’s race to lose as betting company Paddy Power have given odds of 4/9 that the Dublin TD will be the next leader of Fine Gael.
Whereas they’ve given Coveney odds of 13/8 that the Cork man will take over the mantle from Enda Kenny.
Earlier today before Enda Kenny’s announcement, Frances Fitzgerald was asked whether she would be a third option for the Fine Gael leadership.
“Well look, there is no vacancy at present,” Fitzgerald replied. “We have to wait and see what the Taoiseach has to say later this evening and I’ll make my own position clear then.”
Here’s a full list of the odds for the Fine Gael leadership…
4/9 Leo Varadkar
13/8 Simon Coveney
22/1 Frances Fitzgerald
25/1 Richard Bruton
25/1 Paschal Donohoe
66/1 Damien English
66/1 Simon Harris
66/1 Regina Doherty
100/1 Charlie Flanagan
100/1 Heather Humphreys
125/1 John Deasy
125/1 Noel Rock
200/1 Michael Ring
200/1 Kate O’Connell
200/1 Michael Noonan
500/1 Fergus O’Dowd
500/1 Mary Mitchell-O’Connor
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