LABOUR PARTY LEADER Eamon Gilmore said that his party’s top priority would be job creation, if it gets into government.

Gilmore was speaking on the second day of the party’s meeting in Roscommon, RTÉ reports.

He said a panel discussion would be held today to debate how to tackle unemployment, and said that while he did not believe Ireland would default on its debts, Anglo Irish Bank should be wound down.

Labour TD Willie Penrose outlined the party’s job creation proposals in a statement released today. The plan includes a capital guarantee scheme to provide funding to SMEs, and a training scheme fund.

The party also proposes creating a “Strategic Investment Bank which would use €2bn from the National Pension Reserve Fund” to support commercial investments of up to €20bn in innovation and infrastructure.

Speaking to the Examiner earlier, Labour’s Finance spokesperson, Joan Burton, blamed international coverage of the Cowengate story for the latest spike in Irish bond prices.