Ireland South MEP Phil Prendergast has said she still stands by her calls for Tánaiste Eamon Gilmore to resign as Labour leader, but says she will not work to oust him after the election.

Speaking at the party’s local and European manifesto, Mr Gilmore said Ms Prendergast and all other candidates had his full support.

The substitute MEP called for Mr Gilmore’s resignation following bad polls at the start of the campaign, and saw her own personal ratings improve as a result.

“I stand by what I said,” Ms Prendergast said. “I think it’s been a difficult time, we’ve had a very long lead in to this.”

She said an MEP’s “job of work” is to focus on working on employment issues, as well as other initiatives like the youth guarantee, adding: “That’s going to be the focus of anyone who gets elected as an MEP.”

Mr Gilmore said all the European candidates “have the full support of the party and they have my support in these elections”.

“If you look at the ballot paper in any of the three constituencies, the outstanding candidates are the Labour Party candidates.”