Irish PM Varadkar Warns of ‘Double Trouble’ Amid Sinn Fein Surge

(Bloomberg) -- Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar warned that the rise of the nation’s opposition parties spells “double trouble,” as a poll showed Sinn Fein vying for top position ahead of the Feb. 8 general election.

Varadkar’s governing Fine Gael party fell to third in an opinion poll published Sunday, trailing rivals Fianna Fail and Sinn Fein. In an RTE radio interview on Monday, Varadkar warned of “massive” tax rises if Sinn Fein came to power, a charge rejected by the party.

Both Varadkar and Fianna Fail leader Micheal Martin pledge not to enter government with Sinn Fein, though a number of Fianna Fail lawmakers have said they are open to co-operation with the party, the former political wing of the Irish Republican Army.

Varadkar has placed Brexit at the center of his bid for power, claiming his government is best placed to protect Ireland while the EU and U.K. negotiate a future trade agreement. Voters though appear more focused on domestic issues including a housing shortage and struggling health care system.

Varadkar’s Fine Gael polled 21% in a Business Post/Red C poll published Sunday. That was down two percentage points from a week ago. Main opposition party Fianna Fail dropped two points to 24% while Sinn Fein jumped five points to 24%.

“The risk for the country is that by having a Fianna Fail led government or a Sinn Fein led government or what I call the double trouble option, the two of them together, that the economy will go into decline again, back into recession and the massive amounts of money we need to build social housing will be gone,” Varadkar said.

To contact the reporter on this story: Peter Flanagan in Dublin at pflanagan23@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Ambereen Choudhury at achoudhury@bloomberg.net, Dara Doyle

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