Brian Cowen: It’s imperative the budget be passed

Brian Cowen contacted the leaders of Labour and Fine Gael last night to put pressure on them to support the December budget.

Cowen believes that the support of the IMF is conditional, as it depends upon certain measures being passed in the budget.

“The interests of the electorate, of all the people,” Cowen told reporters yesterday, “will not be served by delaying or worse still casting into doubt the steps that are necessary to secure our economic and financial future.”

When asked about the importance of passing the upcoming budget, he replied that it was “imperative”.

“It is highly important in the interests of political stability that that happens. It’s very important for people to understand that any further delay in this matter in fact weakens this country’s position.”

The opposition parties continue to demand an immediate general election, while Cowen is increasingly losing support from within his own party.

The people of the country do not trust him,” Fianna Fail’s Noel O’Flynn has said. “His credibility is in tatters now and the honourable thing for Cowen to do is to stand down.”