People Before Profit TD Bríd Smith confirms she will not contest next election

People Before Profit (PBP) TD Bríd Smith has announced she will not contest the next general election.

Ms Smith (61), who represents the Dublin South Central constituency, was first elected to the Dáil in 2016 and retained her seat in the 2020 election.

The next general election is due to be held in late 2024 or early 2025.

Prior to her election as a TD, Ms Smith represented Ballyfermot as a councillor from 2009.

Speaking on Monday, Ms Smith joked that she believes she has "about 18 months of collateral damage to do in the current Dáil".

Dublin City Councillor Hazel De Nortúin will take Ms Smith's place on the ticket for PBP.

"I'm not going to be running in the general election, but instead we have a young, very talented and very dynamic working-class mother from Cherry Orchard who has already made quite an impact as a councillor," Ms Smith said of her party colleague.

However, Ms Smith added that she will be "still fighting" after her time in the Dáil comes to an end.

"I'm still a socialist, I'm still active in my community, and I want to really get stuck in on things like climate change, the environment, fighting for the rights of people in the community," she said.