While the Labour party has underperformed in polls this year, its leader Ivana Bacik said history has proven polls can be wrong. 

Polls released today by The Business Post and The Sunday Independent saw Labour continue to flounder at the bottom of approval ratings at 4%. 

Speaking to The Anton Savage Show today, Ms Bacik claimed these low figures have not deterred the party. 

“Labour is the party of deep roots and green shoots as I always say,” she said. 

“We have a long and proud history as the party of the trade union movement, we have an incredible ground organisation. 

“We've already selected 100 candidates to run in the local elections.” 

She pointed out Labour’s previous successes have not always been predicted by polls. 

“We have had one electoral contest in the four years of this Government,” she said. “And we Labour won that electoral contest in the Dublin Bay South bye-election in 2021, confounding the pollsters. 

“I suppose what we've seen more recently in the more recent vote nationally, is how the polls can get it wrong.” 

While acknowledging the polls would need to be “catastrophically wrong” in Labour’s case, Ms Bacik said European election candidates such as Aodhán Ó Ríordáin are “heavy hitters”. 

“It’s all to play for,” she said. 

New Taoiseach a 'cosmetic job'

In her speech at the Labour National Conference in the Helix yesterday, Ms Bacik repeated calls for a general election, describing Simon Harris as a “temporary Taoiseach”. 

Today, she described Leo Varadkar’s resignation and Mr Harris’ appointment as a “cosmetic job” for the party. 

“By this time next year, we will have had to have the general election,” she said. 

“Whoever is appointed Taoiseach... will have at best a number of months to be a temporary Taoiseach. 

“There’s no time... we need a general election now.” 

Bacik on housing

The Labour leader said Mr Harris’ top priority as leader of the country should be tackling housing. 

“We put forward a bill two years ago that the Government did not oppose which would have reinstated a ban on no fault evictions,” she said. 

“At a time where we're seeing 4,000 children in homelessness, where we're seeing so many renters in living in desperate fear of eviction of a notice to quit, it's time to give renters security of tenure.” 

Mr Harris became de facto leader of Fine Gael earlier today when nominations closed and he was the sole contender. 

He is due to make a speech confirming his leadership later today. 

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