Taoiseach Enda Kenny contradicted everything he previously said on the appointment of Seanad candidate John McNulty to the board of the Irish Museum of Modern Art (Imma) during the televised leaders' debate, Renua leader Lucinda Creighton has said.

Mr Kenny said during the final broadcast leaders' debate on Tuesday that he appointed Mr McNulty to the board of Imma, having previously said it was made by Minister for Arts Heather Humphreys.

After the RTÉ debate, Mr Kenny backtracked on this admission and again said it had been made by Ms Humphreys.

Speaking on Wednesday at her party’s final press conference of the general election campaign, Ms Creighton said she was not surprised by the admission. “The extraordinary thing is we would have a head of government who would go into the Dáil chamber and claim that black is white. We all knew that was the case. I don’t think anyone was surprise by that admission,” she said.

The Dublin Bay South deputy said Mr Kenny, “contradicted everything he said in the Dáil in the debate. It comes as no surprise. Political appointments that have happened over the last five years, all of them go through the Tánaiste’s office and the Taoiseach’s office and anybody suggesting that that’s not the case is simply not telling the truth.”

Ms Creighton, who also discussed how her party would help families through policies such as easing the cost of childcare, said this will be Renua’s “first big election”.

“We’ll have many more I’m sure. We have excellent candidates, who I am very proud to stand here with this morning and who I’d be proud to stand with after this election.

"Renua Ireland is here to stay," said Ms Creighton. "It is a party that has a long term vision for the country and we see the establishment parties are on a downward trajectory."

The party is running on a “a platform of high standards in high office”.

“The public will judge us on Friday,” said Ms Creighton. “I think we are going to have a really good election, we have set out a new vision for the country.”