Leo Varadkar to step down as Taoiseach and quits as Fine Gael party leader

His resignation as Fine Gael leader is effective from Wednesday and he will step down as Taoiseach when a successor is selected.

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar speaking to the media at Government Buildings in Dublin, he has announced he is to step down as Taoiseach and as leader of his party, Fine Gael. Picture date: Wednesday March 20, 2024. (PA Wire)

Irish premier Leo Varadkar is to step down as Taoiseach and is resigning as leader of the Fine Gael party.

In an emotional announcement outside Government Buildings in Dublin, Mr Varadkar said his tenure as Ireland’s head of government had been “the most fulfilling time” of his life but said he no longer felt he was the best person for the job.

Flanked by party ministerial colleagues, he said his resignation as Fine Gael leader was effective from Wednesday and he will step down as Taoiseach when a successor is selected.

The announcement comes after a turbulent number of weeks for the Fine Gael, Fianna Fail and Green Party three party coalition government.

Earlier this month, it was resoundingly beaten in two referendums on changes ministers had proposed to the Irish constitution.

The comprehensive defeats were a significant blow to Mr Varadkar and other coalition leaders who had campaigned for “Yes Yes” votes in the plebiscites.

I believe that a new taoiseach and a new leader will be better placed than me to achieve that, to renew and strengthen the team, to focus our message and policies, to drive implementation

Leo Varadkar

He said his decision to quit was both “personal and political”.

“I believe this government can be re-elected and I believe my party, Fine Gael, can gain seats in the next poll,” he said.

“Most of all I believe the re-election of this three-party government would be the right thing for the future of our country.

“Continuing to take us forward, protecting all that has been achieved and building on it.

“But, after careful consideration and some soul searching, I believe that a new taoiseach and a new leader will be better placed than me to achieve that, to renew and strengthen the team, to focus our message and policies, to drive implementation.

“And, after seven years in office, I don’t feel I’m the best person for that job anymore.”

The announcement comes ahead of local government and European Parliament elections in Ireland in June.

The next general election must be held by early spring next year.

Over the last year, 10 Fine Gael TDs have announced their intention to step away from politics at the general election, fuelling speculation of internal discontent within the party.

Cabinet ministers met in Dublin for the first time on Wednesday since the referenda defeats.

Mr Varadkar, 45, has also just returned from the United States where he was involved in several high-profile engagements with President Joe Biden as part of traditional St Patrick’s Day celebrations.

He is currently serving his second term as Taoiseach.

Mr Varadkar, who first became premier in 2017, once insisted he would not remain in politics beyond the age of 50, albeit he later said he regretted making that pledge.

During his time as Taoiseach, Ireland passed a landmark referendum to liberalise its strict abortion laws in 2018.

Mr Varadkar also played a key role in the Brexit negotiations, with a crunch meeting with then prime minister Boris Johnson at a manor house on The Wirral in England seen as a significant moment in paving a way for the deal on the UK’s exit from the EU.

The agreement staved off the prospect of a hard trade border being introduced on the island of Ireland, but it did prompt years of further political turmoil, particularly within unionism in Northern Ireland, over the creation of a so-called Irish Sea border on the movement of goods between the region and Great Britain.

He was taoiseach at the onset of the Covid pandemic in 2020 and announced a lockdown, in arguably his most famous address, while on an annual St Patrick’s Day trip to Washington DC.

In his first term as Taoiseach, Mr Varadkar led a minority government that was sustained in power by way of a confidence and supply deal with the then main opposition party Fianna Fail.

Following the 2020 general election, Fine Gael and Fianna Fail agreed to enter coalition for the first time – a seismic move for two arch rivals founded from opposing sides of Ireland’s civil war of the 1920s. The Green Party led by Eamon Ryan joined as the administration’s junior partner.

The coalition deal saw Fianna Fail leader Micheal Martin serve as taoiseach for the first half of the mandate, with Mr Varadkar retaking the position at the mid point of the government term.

Mr Varadkar’s detractors will point to Ireland’s ongoing housing shortages and chronic problems within the health service as major government failings during his time as premier.

The political establishment in Ireland has also been under increasing pressure on migration issues in recent times, with an influx of tens of thousands of Ukrainian refugees and asylum seekers from elsewhere in the world heaping further strain on state services and accommodation stock.

In his resignation speech, the outgoing Taoiseach said politicians were human beings who had their limitations.

“There are loyal colleagues and good friends contesting local European elections and I want to give them the best chance possible and I think they’ve a better chance under a new leader,” he said.

“I am standing aside in the absolute confidence that the country and the economy are in a good place and that my colleagues in government from all three parties – Fine Gael, Fianna Fail and the Greens – and the Oireachtas will continue to work hard for the nation’s best interests.

“On a personal level, I’ve enjoyed being Taoiseach, leader and cabinet member since March 2011. I’ve learned so much about so many things, met so many people who I’d never have got to meet, been to places I’d have never seen both home and abroad and I am deeply grateful for it. And, despite the challenges, would wholeheartedly recommend a career in politics to anyone who’s considering it.

“However, politicians are human beings and we have our limitations. We give it everything until we can’t anymore and then we have to move on.

“I will of course continue to fulfil my duties as Taoiseach until a new one is elected and will remain as consistency TD for Dublin West.

There’s never a right time to resign high office, however, this is as good a time as any

Leo Varadkar

“I know inevitably there’ll be speculation as to the quote unquote ‘real reason’ for my decision. These are the real reasons. That’s it. I have nothing else lined up, I have nothing in mind, I have no definite personal or political plans, but I’m really looking forward to having the time to think about them.”

Mr Varadkar said it was as “good a time as any” to step down.

“I know this will come as a surprise to many people and a disappointment to some, and I hope at least you will understand my decision,” he said.

“I know that others will, how shall I put it, cope with the news just fine – that is the great thing about living in a democracy.

“There’s never a right time to resign high office, however, this is as good a time as any.

“Budget 2024 is done. Negotiations have not yet commenced on the next one. Institutions of the Good Friday Agreement are working again and our trading relationship with the UK in the post-Brexit era is settled and stable.

“The new taoiseach will have a full two months to prepare for the local and European elections and up to a year before the next general election.”

Varadkar thanked his fellow coalition leaders and his party colleagues for their support.

“Most of all, I want to finish by thanking the people of Ireland for giving me the opportunity to serve them,” he said.

“And I’ll promise I’ll keep working for Ireland and my community in any way I can in future.”

Mr Varadkar was applauded by Fine Gael ministerial colleagues as he finished his speech and walked back into Government Buildings.