Get all the very latest news in Ireland straight to your email every single day Sign up! Thank you for subscribing See our privacy notice Invalid Email

Labour leader Brendan Howlin has called on Leo Varadkar to “bring it on” and call a general election for February.

Mr Howlin told the Irish Mirror that “the time is now” for an election to give the people the choice.

And he said that there’s no point “limping on with a pretend parliament” over the coming months until the Taoiseach’s preferred election day in May.

Massive momentum is pointing towards a snap election being called in the coming days for early February - with the Irish Mirror understanding that February 7 is the preferred date.

Mr Howlin took a break from the campaign trail yesterday to speak exclusively to the Irish Daily Mirror.

He was scathing of the Government’s disastrous performance in areas like housing and health and he said he believes the people now want to “pass judgement” on Fine Gael.

(Image: Gareth Chaney Collins)

Mr Howlin said that in particular Taoiseach Leo Varadkar, Housing Minister, Eoghan Murphy and Health Minister, Simon Harris, had been “complete failures” in their jobs.

The Labour leader said the “Tory Boys” has never understood what it was like to be a normal working person in the country with all the struggles it brings.

Mr Howlin said that Labour have shown in the past that they can be trusted with the national finances - Mr Howlin himself was Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform - and that Fine Gael are set for a “harsh judgement” at the polls.

He said: “It’s quite clear that the lifetime of this particular Dáil is completely exhausted.

“It’s run its course and any prolonging of it now would not be in the national interest.

“It’s quite clear that all of the TDs in the Dáil have moved into election campaigning mode and I think the electorate has too.

“And I think it would undermine politics for it (the Dáil) to continue because what’s going to happen is that you’ll have a government parading around the country,effectively canvassing, by making announcements and so on.

“It’s appropriate now that the people have the chance to pass judgement on a Government that has fundamentally failed on the big issues.”

Mr Howlin highlighted health and housing as two areas where the Government has failed miserably.

“I don’t think any government that has 4,000 children in a situation of homelesness, or has 760 people languishing on trolleys in our hospitals has any notion of real life for the vast majority of people.

“What people want is a government that is competent, that doesn’t waste money hand over fist, throwing money at broadband, throwing money at the National Children’s Hospital without even the ability to do a proper tendering process.

“That’s what people want now and I think they will give a very harsh judgement on Fine Gael’s stewardship over the last three, years.

“And so from our perspective, it’s time to bring it on”.

Mr Howlin said that people are not afraid of a winter election and that the British had just held a successful one last month.

“What is this government going to do now if we don’t have an election?

“Limp on, have a pretend parliament for three months?

“That’s in nobody’s interest.

“Britain was able to go to the polls in December, in the run-up to Christmas.

“We can surely go to the polls now.

“We’re used to winter elections in this country, we’ve had several in the last couple of decades.

“When the time comes for a government, the game is up, they have to realise that and not seek desperately to find independents that they will buy and bribe to continue in office.

“That’s just not acceptable.”

He added that the “Tory Boys” of Leo, Eoghan and Simon, have no idea what it’s like to struggle in Irish society.

“I think they are Tory Boys.

“It’s not their fault that they have no idea of what it’s like to be homeless, or making a decision on, can I afford the rent, or can I afford to bring my child to the GP.

“They’re not decisions they were ever faced with, or are ever likely to be faced with, so they can’t and don’t understand them.

“I think people are ready for an election now.

How to follow the Irish Mirror on social media You can like our main Facebook page here. Our Irish Mirror Sports page - which brings you all your Irish and UK sports news - can be found here. You can also check out our Irish Mirror GAA sports page. The Irish Mirror Twitter account is @IrishMirror while our sports account is @MirrorSportIE. Our Instagram account can be found here.

“And I think there’ll be a harsh judgement that I think Fine Gael are not expecting.

“We went into government at the worst of times (2011 to 2016) and tried to protect people to the best of our ability.

“But in the good times when we could have had quality public services, Fine Gael have wasted that opportunity.

“I think people will look back on the Labour Party and know that we can be trusted with the people’s money, that we will spend it where it is needed on public services, in health and in housing and in education and I think that’s ultimately what people want right now.”