Bree refuses to stand for Labour while Rabbitte is leader

Sligo Labour Party Councillor and former TD, Declan Bree, has ruled himself out of contesting the next General Election as a Labour candidate. Councillor Bree has this afternoon indicated that he will not stand as a candidate while Pat Rabbite remains leader of the party.

In a letter to the Secretary of the Sligo East Ward Branch of the Labour Party, Cllr Bree says he has consulted widely over the past number of weeks with his election workers and supporters, and the great majority of them are of the view that it would not be tenable for him to accept a Labour Party nomination while Mr Rabbitte remains as leader.


He refers in the letter also to a confidential National Executive Committee document which indicates that the Labour Party does not expect to win a Dail seat in the Sligo-North Leitrim constituency for at least two more elections.


In this context, says Cllr Bree, his supporters have a concern that the party's only role in the election would be to sweep up Labour votes for Fine Gael.