Confidence and supply talks begin this afternoon

Confidence and supply talks between Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil will begin this afternoon.
The two parties will meet to discuss the deal that’s keeping the government in place.
Negotiating teams for Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil will sit down this afternoon to begin reviewing the deal that keeps the government in place.
Simon Coveney, Paschal Donohoe, Regina Doherty and Martin Heydon will represent Fine Gael.
While the Fianna Fáil team will be led by Dara Calleary, Michael McGrath, Lisa Chambers and Charlie McConalouge.
Fine Gael are seeking a two year extension to the agreement with an agreed election date in 2020.
Fianna Fáil has been reluctant to accept that – talking about reviewing the current deal but saying there should be a commitment not to collapse the government until after a Brexit deal has been put in place.
The next few weeks will decide how long this government will last – and while the prospect of an election before Christmas looks remote, if talks go badly politicians could be fighting carolers for space on the doorsteps in December.