Brendan Howlin (born 9 May 1956) is an Irish Labour Party politician. He was Leader of the Labour Party since May 2016. He has been a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Wexford constituency since 1987.
He was Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform from 2011 to 2016, Leas-Cheann Comhairle from 2007 to 2011, Deputy Leader of the Labour Party from 1997 to 2002, Minister for the Environment from 1994 to 1997 and Minister for Health from 1993 to 1994.
He was a Senator from 1983 to 1987, after being nominated by the Taoiseach.
In February 2020, after a poor result for the Labour Party in the 2020 general election, he announced that he would be stepping down as party leader in a few weeks.