Leo Varadkar resigns following crushing referendum defeat

The Taoiseach Leo Varadkar is to step down as Ireland’s prime minister and as the leader of his party, Fine Gael. In an announcement this lunchtime in Dublin, Varadkar said he would quit as party leader with immediate effect, but stay in the role of Taoiseach until his successor is appointed. Explaining his decision, Varadkar cited ‘personal and political reasons’: ‘After careful consideration and soul searching, I don’t feel I’m the best person for the job anymore’.

Varadkar – who first became Ireland’s Taoiseach in 2017 – went on to say that there is ‘never a right time to stand down’, but no longer felt able to give what is required to do the role justice. When it comes to the ‘right time’, Varadkar’s resignation comes just over a week after suffering a defeat in a double referendum his government held to remove ‘sexist’ language about women’s duties in the household from the Irish constitution.