The Tánaiste has admitted that many members of Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil will find the government deal “very difficult to accept and support.”

Simon Coveney was speaking as Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and the Greens prepare to ballot their members on programme for government agreed yesterday.

Each party has a different system for approving the plan; however, all three are expected to announce results on Friday week.

On Newstalk Breakfast this morning, Simon Coveney said the deal is like asking rival GAA teams to “come together and play on the same team for the sake of the greater good.”

“For a lot of people in my party and I am sure in Fianna Fáil as well, that is going to be very difficult to accept and support,” he said.

“But I do think that when people think about the context in which they are being asked to consider this question – Ireland is in a very vulnerable place.”

He said the General Election saw people voting for a “much-more fragmented political system” and compared the situation in Ireland to other European countries, “where parties who never worked together before are now being asked to do that by electorates.”

“Optimism and certainty”

Minister Coveney said the deal sets a “very clear direction for the country” that will allow for some “optimism and certainty” moving forward.

“I really would encourage party members from all three parties to actually read the document,” he said. “To see what their politicians are proposing to sign them up to.”

“I think they will see a huge amount of positives to be optimistic about and I think the country could do with that right now.”

Climate

He claimed the deal would make Ireland a “global leader” when it come to climate ambition and insisted rural Ireland has "nothing to fear" from the plans.

He said it was too early to tell whether he will retain his role as Minister for Foreign Affairs, however, he hopes to have a chance to see out the Brexit process.