Marie O’Halloran and Fiach Kelly

TDs and Senators can no longer serve as chairperson or vice-chair of the Labour party the conference decided in a move described as "sectarian".

Delegates supported a motion proposed by Cathal McCann of Dublin South East constituency that the chair of the party should be an ordinary member.

But opposing the motion Limerick delegate Niall Green said “the motion is well intentioned but sectarian in effect”.

Mr McCann said “the Labour party isn’t just the Dail or Seanad”, it was in every member’s community, in their GAA clubs, everywhere.

He said the party was for all its members.

Mr Green said that was precisely the reason the motion should be rejected because it excluded members who were in the Oireachtas.

Mr Green, a Labour member since 1964, pointed out that in the party's history just four Oireachtas members had served as chairperson – Barry Desmond, Breeda Moynihan Cronin, Michael D Higgins and former party TD Colm Keaveney.

“They were elected, they weren’t appointed,” he said. “We’re not the Tory party. We elect them for their competence.”

The motion states that incumbent members of the Houses of the Oireachtas may not be nominated to either chair or vice-chair. And a chairperson or vice-chair who gets elected to the Dail or Seanad is deemed to have resigned from their leadership role.

The debate took place before the election as chairwoman of Loraine Mulligan last night. Ms Mulligan, who had been acting chairwoman after Mr Keaveney's departure, was confirmed as chairwoman following a 22 vote victory over Ray Kavanagh.

The result was announced last night after Tanaiste Eamon Gilmore’s televised leader’s address. Although the vote was expected to be close, Mr Kavanagh had been tipped to win.

Ms Mulligan, a researcher with SIPTU, beat Mr Kavanagh by 318 votes to 296, and was perceived to be the preferred candidate of Mr Gilmore and the party leadership.

She is likely to have benefitted from the SIPTU bloc of votes.