Taoiseach Micheál Martin...

It's expected that Micheál Martin will be the next Taoiseach of Ireland under a draft programme for government agreed between Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and the Green Party. It's understood details of the plan is now being circulated to TDs and the receptive parties will be briefed on the programme this evening. Under the deal, Micheál Martin will serve as Taoiseach until December 2022 and then the role will rotate back to Leo Varadkar. The document will now go to the three party memberships to vote on and, providing agreement from the three parties, Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and the Green Party will form the next government. The plan promises "fundamental change in the nature of transport in Ireland" and will also focus heavily on the response to the economic downturn caused by Covid-19. "Covid-19 has presented the global community with a terrible set of challenges to add to the ongoing climate and biodiversity emergency," the draft programme reads. "In this Programme for Government we are asserting our ambition to meet these challenges, repair the damage that has been inflicted by the pandemic, and take the renewed spirit arising from these challenging times and translate it into action. "Action that can deliver a better quality of life for all, equality within society and a deeper sense of connection to the natural world around us, and each other."