Simon Harris angers Fianna Fail with ‘election hubris’

Simon Harris, the taoiseach, is facing a backlash from Fianna Fail over “excessive hubris” after the local and European elections amid mounting cabinet pressure for an early general election.

Almost half of the cabinet believe an election should be held this year, with seven senior ministers, including from Fine Gael, Fianna Fail and the Greens, privately telling The Sunday Times they want Harris to go to the country at some point in the last quarter of this year.

But the taoiseach has this weekend been criticised by senior Fianna Fail figures for going “over the top” with opposition politicians in the Dail last week after Fine Gael secured the largest first preference votes of any party in last weekend’s elections.

Last Tuesday Harris accused Mary