Fine Gael's Michael Creed to retire as TD

Michael Creed has told a private Fine Gael meeting that he will not be contesting the next general election.

The Irish Examiner reports that the TD made the annoucement at a Fine Gael AGM in Millstreet, Cork on Monday night.

Mr Creed represents the Cork North-West constituency and has been in politics for 38 years.

According to sources that attended the meeting, Mr Creed said he would work hard until the end of the Dáil term but that he would not be putting his name forward at the next general election.

Mr Creed was first elected to the Dáil in 1989 before losing his seat in the 2002 general election. He regained it five years later and was made Fine Gael agriculture spokesperson.

He served as minister for agriculture, food and the marine from 2016 to 2020.

His decision to retire as a TD comes just a week after Fine Gael's John Paul Phelan also announced he would resign as a TD for Carlow-Kilkenny at the end of the Dáil term.

The news is a fresh blow to Taoiseach Leo Varadkar with four sitting TDs now announcing they will not be running in the next election.

They include Kerry TD Brendan Griffin, Donegal TD Joe McHugh as well as Mr Phelan and Mr Creed.

Fine Gael sources have said they expect similar announcements from other colleagues in the coming months.