10 July 2024
By Elaine Murphy
elaine@TheCork.ie
Councillor, TD, MEP, and Minister – Simon Coveney held almost every political office, now after a quarter of century he is stepping down – time for new personal direction – and renewal in FG
File photo of Simon Coveney
The 52-year-old Cork South Central TD Simon Coveney has announced on the Neil Prendeville show on RedFM that he will not be running in the next General Election.
Simon Coveney was first elected to the Dáil in a by-election in 1998, following the death of his father Hugh Coveney. Since then, Simon has served Minister for Agriculture, and Foreign Affairs, and most recently as Minister for Enterprise.
When Simon Harris was appointed Taoiseach earlier this year, Simon Coveney announced that he did not want to continue in the Cabinet in order to allow the new Fine Gael leader pick his new ministers. This – along with purchasing a house in Cobh outside of his constituency- was interpreted by commentators as a signal that his time in Politics was concluding.
This morning he said it was time to step out of politics and “seek new horizons”. He said it had been an extraordinary privilege to serve his constituency for 26 years. He said the future is bright for Fine Gael and Mr Harris had reinvigorated the party.
On his @simoncoveney x (previously known as Twitter) account Simon Coveney posted a letter sent to Fine Gael members dated “3rd July 2024” last week. The letter thanks the party faithful for their support.
Today I write to FG members in my constituency to say thank you.
Being elected for 26 yrs has been the privilege of my life. I will forever be grateful for the faith people in CorkSouthCentral have put in me.
Now is the right time for renewal in FG & for me to change direction. pic.twitter.com/4occw2d0PO— Simon Coveney (@simoncoveney) July 10, 2024
It’s understood Simon Coveney is entitled to a pension of around €110,000.