Alan Kelly expected to resign as Irish Labour Party leader

Ivana Bacik, who won a seat in Dublin Bay South constituency last July, is tipped to succeed Mr Kelly.

Alan Kelly is expected to resign as Labour Party leader (Brian Lawless/PA) (PA Archive)

Irish Labour Party leader Alan Kelly is expected to resign later on Wednesday evening.

Mr Kelly is to make a public statement following speculation about the future of his leadership.

It is understood the news came as a shock to some in the wider party.

PA news agency also understands that Ivana Bacik, who won a seat in Dublin Bay South constituency last July, is tipped to succeed Mr Kelly.

Mr Kelly, known for his at-times combative exchanges in the Dail, has not been able to reverse the party’s static polling rates, which have hovered in the low single-digits in recent months.

It is understood that there were still concerns within the party about Mr Kelly’s links to the Fine Gael-Labour coalition between 2011-2016 and the introduction of tough austerity measures.

He took over the party two years ago from Brendan Howlin as the country grappled with the Covid-19 pandemic in the wake of the Irish general election in 2020.

The PA news agency understands that Mr Kelly will make a statement on the future of his leadership at Leinster House on Wednesday at 7pm.

Earlier on Wednesday, Mr Kelly had been quizzing Taoiseach Micheal Martin in the Dail on the Government’s decision not to expel the Russian ambassador.

One major success for the party during his time as leader has been the election of Ms Bacik in the Dublin Bay South constituency last summer.