'There is a divide in our vision' - Labour walks away from government formation talks with Fianna Fail and Fine Gael

"I do want to acknowledge we've had engagement. It's been very useful. However, as I indicated to the parliamentary party today, following the engagements we've had, I formed the assessment that it is not possible for us to enter any negotiations on government formation."

"There is a gulf, a divide in our vision of what the future can be, of the future for the state, and in particular our labor vision that we articulated throughout the election campaign. That vision is for an active state."

"Particularly, with Fianna Fáil, there was skepticism about how that could be delivered, or indeed about their willingness to deliver on it. Equally with the publicly provided system of childcare that we've called for, again, perhaps more clearly from Fianna Fail than from Fine Gael a reluctance to engage on that."

"Labour was never content to sit on the sidelines, but with the numbers the way they were after the election, it meant it would be difficult for any small party to have leverage during the talks."

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