Michael Creed, a former agriculture minister and TD representing the Cork North-West constituency, has announced his decision not to run for the next general election during a private Fine Gael meeting. The news came after a Fine Gael AGM in Millstreet, Cork on Monday night that sources confirmed. Despite working hard for the remainder of the Dáil term, Mr Creed will not put his name forward. With four sitting TDs now announcing they will not run in the next election, including Kerry TD Brendan Griffin, Donegal TD Joe McHugh, and Fine Gael’s John Paul Phelan, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar is facing an electoral crisis. While acknowledging their decades of service, Varadkar sees this as an opportunity for party renewal, saying some have done a job for 20 or 30 years and often want to move on. However, Fine Gael sources expect more similar announcements from colleagues in the coming months.
