Alan Kelly says he will ‘put workers first’ as he launches Labour leadership bid
ALAN Kelly has officially announced his leadership bid for Labour.
The Tipperary TD and party spokesperson on health formally lodged his nomination papers today at the Labour Party Head Office.
Kelly was nominated by fellow party TDs, newly elected Dublin Fingal's Duncan Smith and Cork East's Sean Sherlock.
Aodhan O'Riordan is also believed to be putting himself forward for the leadership contest - with Ged Nash ruling himself out this morning.
Kelly was first elected as a TD in 2001 and re-elected twice in the Tipperary North (now Tipperary) constituency, he was first in the Seanad in 2007 and became the first Labour MEP in over 30 years.
Speaking after putting forward his bid today, Kelly said that he would fight fearlessly and relentlessly to restore Labour to leadership of Ireland's left.
The Portroe native said: "The reality of where we are at today as a country is that, as we reach full employment and our economy grows, more and more people are being left behind.
"For the Labour Party, the party of the worker, that is unacceptable and that is what we will prioritise if I am elected leader. There must be more to society than running to stand still."
'BACK TO BASICS'
He said that the party must "go back to basics” and focus on the interests of Irish workers as they "must rebuild" the Labour party.
He explained: “We must rebuild our party, take it back to the grass roots, cover every corner of the country in doing so and regenerate the trust we had with the people of Ireland that, no matter what, Labour puts the people first.
"There is a hard road ahead and it will take time, but the rebuilding of the party must revolve around putting workers and their families at the centre of political discourse.”
Deputies Duncan Smith and Sean Sherlock said they were "delighted" and "honoured to nominate Kelly for the party's leadership contest".
Kelly concluded by saying that Labour are the only party that can provide "honest, hard-working and considered social reformists."
MOST READ IN NEWS
He finished: "Finally, I want to thank our outgoing leader Deputy Brendan Howlin for his selfless commitment to the Labour Party across four decades.
"I wish my competitors well in their bid also. Above all, I want to stress to our members that we have had dark days but there is a future ahead, a bright future for the Labour Party.
"Together we will rebuild Labour, restore it to a place where it gives responsible leadership of the left, implements social reforms and protects and promotes all those in society who deserve better than their lot today.”