Donohoe And McEntee Gambled Amid Speculation On Varadkar Future

Irish punters are beginning to speculate on potential replacements for Leo Varadkar as leader of Fine Gael after he faced renewed scrutiny over the leaking of a GP contract when he was Taoiseach in 2019.

Sinn Féin president Mary Lou McDonald ramped up the pressure on the Tánaiste by writing to the Taoiseach this week demanding action after new details emerged surrounding the controversial leak of a draft pay agreement with the Irish Medical Organisation to a rival group.

Simon Coveney, who has served as deputy Fine Gael leader since losing out in the leadership election in 2017, has been the long-time favourite to be the next leader, but is a weaker 4/5 shot from 8/13 this week.

Support instead is starting to increase for Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe, who is 7/2 second favourite from 9/2,

…while Minister for Justice Helen McEntee is increasingly popular at 6/1 from 8/1.

The latest betting also suggests punters are expecting to be called to the polls before the end of 2021, with the odds of a general election trimmed into just 2/1 from 11/4.

Bet here.

*Prices correct at time of publication