Ireland's PM sets stage for February election

Ireland's Prime Minister Leo Varadkar said on Sunday he had made a decision on the timing of a general election but would meet with his cabinet on Tuesday before announcing the date. Speaking to national broadcaster RTE, Varadkar said he would have preferred to go to the country in summer but that parliamentary arithmetic had changed.

"I have made a decision but there is some respective protocol around this so I would like to speak to the cabinet and the leader of the opposition." "The cabinet will meet on Tuesday and the Dail (the lower house of parliament) we reconvene on Wednesday."

Varadkar held talks with the leader of the opposition Micheal Martin last week to discuss the matter and is due to meet him again this week.