Meath West TD Damien English confirms he won't be seeking re ...
Photo Credit: @Damien_English (X)
The former Minister of State informed local Fine Gael members of his decision last night
Damien English is the latest Fine Gael TD to announce he won't be standing in the next general election.
He has fully endorsed Councillor Linda Nelson Murray, who was chosen be delegates last night as the party's candidate for the Meath West constituency at the next General Election.
The selection convention in the Newgrange Hotel, Navan, was chaired by Deputy Simon Coveney who is also not seeking re-election.
Deputy English resigned as a junior minister last year after The Ditch website revealed he had failed to disclose the fact that he already had a home when making a planning application for a one-off housing in 2008.
The statement issued by the Meath West Deputy in full:
“Over the past year, along with my job as TD for Meath West I dedicated a lot of my time as Fine Gael’s Director of Local Elections up and down the country. I enjoyed working to find a new wave of candidates for Fine Gael, helping people on their journey into politics by mentoring, training and campaigning with them.
“I was impressed by the drive, the determination and the new sparks of energy from our 339 candidates wanting to contribute to their community and make a solid impact on Ireland’s future.
“It was an honour to work as part of a team which saw 245 Councillors elected on June 7th. These Councillors are the future of Fine Gael. They represent a new wave and a new energy under the leadership of An Taoiseach, Simon Harris TD.
“I have reflected quite a lot since June 7th. While I love every single day of my job, I also know that the time is right to make way for the new wave of talent to take over from me for Fine Gael in Meath West.
“Tonight, I have informed the members of Fine Gael in Meath West that I won’t be contesting the next general election.
“I do so in the knowledge that support for Fine Gael is rising. Our Party leader Simon Harris TD is flying.
“He is dynamic, buzzing with energy and full of new ideas. Simon is determined to deliver the very best for our people and our country.
“I love politics and politics will never leave me. My focus now is to make sure we hold our Dáil seat in Meath West and that Simon Harris is returned as Taoiseach after the next General Election.
“I am delighted to fully endorse Linda Nelson Murray as our candidate for Meath West. Having worked closely with her for the past five years I know she is the best person to win the seat and be a strong, fresh voice for the people of Meath in the Dáil.
“I had the privilege and honour to represent the great county of Meath for over 25 years; serving on Meath County Council for five years, as a TD for 22 years and as a Minister of State for over 9 years across 5 Government Departments.
“I want to sincerely thank everyone who voted for me since my first election in 1999. I am so grateful to everyone who took the time to engage with me and work with me on the issues that mattered most to them.
“I would like to recognise the dedication and diligence of my wonderful teams, both constituency and ministerial, in supporting me and my constituents throughout my time as TD and Minister of State.
“I acknowledge the incredible support locally from the Fine Gael membership in Meath West. Thank you for putting your trust in me.
“As someone who started off in politics at 21 years of age, I made many new friends and experienced many great mentors along the way. I hope to pay this forward in a supporting role for the next wave in Fine Gael."
