Government party leaders agree on 2024 general election

The leaders of the three Government parties have agreed that the general election will take place in 2024.

Taoiseach and Fine Gael leader Simon Harris, Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin and Green Party leader Roderic O'Gorman have agreed the passage of the Finance Bill is the priority for the Government. The committee stage of the bill will commence on 5 November.

While no date has been announced, the leaders confirmed that polling will take place later this year.

Most speculation has been focused on 29 November.

The leaders will be quizzed on their approach in the morning, as they head into a Cabinet meeting at Government Buildings.

Speaking earlier today, Mr Harris said that Mr O'Gorman did not go behind his back when he suggested 29 November as a date for the election and had done so publicly.

He added that, "without being prickly about it", it is the constitutional prerogative of the Taoiseach to announce an election on a specific date.

Mr O'Gorman said he reserved the right as Green leader to hold a view on this.

The Taoiseach said that Fine Gael would contest the election as a stand-alone party without a transfer pact with the coalition parties.

How people vote is a matter for them, he added, but it is possible that "if people thought this Government's doing a good job, they may wish to vote in that manner".

"I think this Government works well together," Mr Harris told reporters in Dublin.

"We are three different parties. It's been built on mutual respect. It's been built on policy. I hope these are two things that can be maintained across the political divide throughout the election."

Mr Martin said that he has consistently said that it would be ideal if the Government ran its course until February, but if substantial legislative work is done, he would not be opposed to an election this year.

Additional reporting Jennie O'Sullivan, Mary Regan, Eleanor Burnhill