With just days to go before Budget 2027 is presented to the Dáil, rumours of "fireworks" within the cabinet are running wild.
All eyes are on Minister Jack Chambers as the Irish Budget for 2027 will be presented on Tuesday October 6.
However, not all Ministers have got everything they want and many are exasperated by the reticence of Minister Chambers to say yes to every spending request.
Speaking on the conflict within Leinster House, former Taoiseach Leo Varadkar told Ciara Doherty on The Pat Kenny Show how he was glad he wasn't working on the country's budget anymore.
He said: "Jack Chamber's job is to keep public expenditure under control. If he wasn't trying to resist demands for more spending, he wouldn't be doing his job.
"But look, I've not been following that closely. I did 13 budgets. I'm glad I'm not doing number 15, but it is different.
"The first budgets I was involved in were about cutbacks. There was no question of anyone getting any more money for anything. In my first budget, I had to cut my budget by 400 million.
"So let's just not forget how far we've come. And let's not forget how quickly we can get back there.
"They'll have the crunch meeting [on] Sunday, probably later in the evening, because at that point, the thing has to go to print.
"The legal deadline is the Cabinet meeting on Tuesday morning, but in reality, the thing has to go to print on Sunday night or Monday.
"There's always going to be rallies over the budget. I get that. But it seems to be, every poll card is suggesting, it is different this time.
"Ministers walking away, getting diddly squat, getting annoyed with... I think it's Dr No he's being called."
During the week, Elaine Loughlin of the Irish Examiner told The Claire Byrne Show: "There have been a few tense meetings in recent days...
"[Minister Chambers] really wants to hold a tight grip of the purse strings this year and is asking for savings before ministers are perhaps even given additional finances or even the same level, in some instances we're hearing, of allocations as they've got in previous years."
Main image: Jack Chambers Pic: Liam Murphy/Alamy Live News
