- BREAKING: More to come
Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar will resign from his post and also relinquish his role as leader of the ruling Fine Gael party.
Varadkar’s departure as head of a three-party coalition will not automatically trigger a general election and he could be replaced by a new Fine Gael leader, with a leadership contest planned for early April.
Varadkar became the once staunchly Catholic country’s first gay prime minister in 2017 and, at the age of 38, the youngest person to hold the office.
He returned to the premiership for a second term in 2022, and visited the US a few days ago, where he took part in the St. Patrick’s Day celebrations hosted by US President Joe Biden at the White House.
His departure comes after a slew of Fine Gael TDs (equivalent to MPs) announced their decision to resign before the next election, with Galway East TD Ciaran Cannon citing “rudeness and toxicity” in politics as one of the reasons he leaves .
Cannon said some of the criticism politicians face can be “very damaging,” adding that it “feels like it’s time for you and your family.”
Mr Cannon joins the likes of Brendan Griffin, John Paul Phelan, Micheal Creed, Fergus O’Dowd, Richard Bruton, Charlie Flanagan, Joe McHugh and David Stanton, who are all planning to resign.
Taoiseach Leo Varadkar speaks to the media at Blair House in Washington DC, during his visit to the US for St. Patrick’s Day. Date of photo: Sunday, March 17, 2024
Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar (R) presents a bouquet of shamrocks to US President Joe Biden during a St. Patrick’s Day celebration in the East Room of the White House in Washington, DC, on March 17, 2024