Simon Coveney, ex-deputy prime minister, has declared that he will not stand for re-election in the Irish Dáil. In a letter issued to Fine Gael affiliates in his South Central Cork vicinity on Wednesday, Mr. Coveney revealed his decision, expressing his gratitude for his 26-year-long political journey.
Sharing a snapshot of this letter on a social media channel (X), he expressed his affection for most of his public service days, attributing this journey’s realization to the faith and unselfishness exhibited by the South Central Cork denizens, to whom he stated he will remain perpetually thankful.
The Enterprise Minister assured he would be withdrawing from the political scene with a positive outlook on the future, citing a robust and ambitious party under the leadership of a vibrant new leader reinvigorating the organization at all echelons.
Since his ministerial inauguration for agriculture by Enda Kenny in the Fine Gael-Labour coalition’s inception in 2011, Mr. Coveney has held five cabinet positions. He officiated as Minister for Housing between 2016-2017 and subsequently as Foreign Affairs Minister across two governments on either side of the 2020 general election. Additionally, he spent two years as defence minister before being appointed Enterprise Minister when Taoiseach Leo Varadkar succeeded Micheál Martin in December 2022.
In 2017, he vied for Fine Gael leadership against Leo Varadkar. The latter triumphed thanks to significant parliamentary support, notwithstanding Coveney’s victory amidst the grassroots of Fine Gael. He was later granted the role of deputy leader of Fine Gael, a position which he resigned after withdrawing from the Cabinet following Simon Harris’ election. He served a three-year tenure as deputy prime minister under Leo Varadkar, succeeding Frances Fitzgerald in the aftermath of a slew of police controversies.
Lastly, Mr. Coveney, as director of elections, stewarded Fine Gael’s European campaign, successfully preserving four MEPs for the party.
Mr Coveney first gained entry to Dáil Éireann in the by-election following his father, Hugh Coveney’s passing away in 1998. Again, in 2002, he was successfully elected and served as an MEP from 2004 prior to being re-elected as a TD in 2007’s general election. His appointment to the cabinet was sanctioned by Enda Kenny.
During the 2013 horse meat scandal, he proved his strength and led from the front in managing the aftereffects of Brexit on behalf of Ireland in negotiations with the European Union and UK.
Yet, his career was dotted with hotspots of contention. As housing minister, he laid down the framework for the ‘Rebuilding Ireland’ plan, which was passed on to his successor, Eoghan Murphy. This plan soon became synonymous with Government dysfunctionality in handling the housing crisis.
In the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, he got ensnared in the hiring scandal of his past cabinet colleague, Katherine Zappone, as a special envoy to the UN. The controversy deepened when Ms Zappone arranged an event at the Merrion Hotel in Dublin, garnering attention about possible infringements of Covid regulations.
Mr Coveney publicly confessed about erasing some text messages on his mobile relating to this issue, a move which sparked criticism from his coalition partners within Fianna Fáil and resulted in a no-confidence vote against him. Mr Coveney, however, was successful in overcoming this challenge in September 2021.
He was a close associate of former deputy chair of An Bord Pleanála, Paul Hyde, who received a suspended sentence and fine for his refusal to acknowledge interests in several properties during his tenure in the planning body.
Being part of an esteemed Cork family, Mr Coveney’s brother Patrick served as chief executive of the publicly quoted convenience food manufacturer, Greencore. Meanwhile, his other brother, Rory, held the position of RTÉ’s Director of Strategy until last year, but had to step down after a number of scandals at the broadcasting station related to undisclosed payments to presenter Ryan Tubridy emerged.