Fine Gael yet to choose Meath West candidate as selection convention shelved

Fine Gael has yet to select a candidate to contest the Meath West constituency in forthcoming general election with speculation rife as to whether outgoing TD and former Minister, Damien English intends to run.

A decision on the party's candidate remains up in the air, as a selection convention due to take place last night (Monday) was unexpectedly postponed.

Deputy English hasn't indicated whether or not he will accept the party's nomination, despite repeated approaches by the Meath Chronicle.

It us understood four party members - Deputy English, Cllr Joe Fox, Cllr Linda Nelson Murray and Cllr Yemi Adenuga - have been nominated to go before the party convention, which is now expected to take place later this month.

A source within the party said Monday night's convention was postponed because of a clash with similar events across the country.

In January last year Deputy English resigned his position as Minister for State at the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment after irregularities over his planning application to Meath Co Council for his family house surfaced. The Ditch news website published a story claiming English failed to declare ownership of an existing home in his planning application for a new property in 2008. It also claimed he neglected to declare such ownership in the Dáil register of interests.

Deputy English first entered politics when he was elected to Meath County Council in 1999 where he was the youngest council member.

He was elected to the Dáil in 2002, where he was the youngest TD aged 24 years.

He was elected secretary of the Fine Gael parliamentary party in September 2002, and became the party deputy Spokesperson for Arts, Sports and Tourism. He was a member of the British–Irish Parliamentary Assembly from 2002 to 2007.

In 2014, he was appointed as Minister of State at the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation and at the Department of Education and Skills.

He was a Junior Minister at the Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government with responsibility for Housing and Urban Renewal from May 2016 to June 2017. He served as Minister of State at the same Department, with responsibility for Housing and Urban Development from June 2017 to June 2020.

In July 2020, he was appointed Minister of State at the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment with responsibility for Employment Affairs and Retail Businesses and Minister of State at the Department of Social Protection with responsibility for Redundancy and Insolvency Operations and Employer Services.