LAST UPDATE | 17 hrs ago

FORMER JUNIOR MINISTER and Fine Gael TD Damien English will not contest the upcoming General Election.

English was first elected to the Dáil in 2002 and was aged 24 at the time.

He announced his decision at a Fine Gael selection convention this evening in Navan, which was chaired by Simon Coveney.

His decision means that 17 Fine Gael TDs who were elected in 2020 will not stand in the upcoming election.

Some 35 Fine Gael members were elected in the 2020 General Election.

In a statement this evening, English said the councillors represented at the recent Local Elections are the “future of Fine Gael and represent a new wave and a new energy”.

“I have reflected quite a lot since 7 June,” said English.

“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.

“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.”

The Meath West TD was most recently a Minister of State at the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment.

He resigned from this position in January 2023 after revelations in The Ditch about a planning application he made in 2008.

The news website reported that English had not declared his ownership of a residential property for more than a decade.

Councillor Linda Nelson Murray has been selected to represent Fine Gael in the Meath West constituency at the next General Election.

Murray said English “paved the way for me to have this wonderful opportunity”.

“He leaves behind a rich legacy of service to the people of Meath West, which I hope to build on,” said Murray.