ALAN KELLY BECAME emotional as he told Labour colleagues tonight he was not behind the leaking of internal polling suggesting the party could lose up to 20 Dáil seats.
The Environment Minister told TDs and Senators at the weekly parliamentary party meeting that he had “nothing whatsoever” to do with the leak, according to sources at the meeting.
Last weekend’s Sunday Times said that some in the party believed the Labour deputy leader and director of elections was behind the leaking of the polling information to damage potential leadership rivals.
The reports in the Irish Independent and Irish Times two weeks ago said Labour strategists had warned the party could return with only 10 to 16 TDs after the next election. Ministers Alex White and Seán Sherlock were among those expected to lose their seats.
Kelly denied the allegation on Monday morning, insisting that he had no prior knowledge of the data.
Addressing colleagues for around two minutes at the meeting tonight, Kelly said he was upset that some of them believed he was behind the leak.
“He paused, he was silent for a long period, he took a glass of water, he showed emotion, he’s human,” said one source.
Another source at the meeting said that the minister was visibly upset and shed some tears during the pause in his brief address.
Kelly is said to have called on the party to unite ahead of the general election.
The source said that several Labour colleagues, including those who had accused him, shook his hand after the meeting.
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
have your say