Leo Varadkar RESIGNS as Irish PM and leader of Fine Gael party

Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar is to stand down from the position, and also relinquish his role as the leader of the governing Fine Gael party.

Varadkar's departure as head of a three-party coalition does not automatically trigger a general election and he could be replaced by a new Fine Gael leader, with a leadership contest targeted for early April. 

Varadkar in 2017 became the first gay prime minister of the once-staunchly Catholic country and the youngest person to hold the office at age 38. 

He returned to the premiership in 2022 for a second term, and just days ago visited the US where he took part in St. Patrick's Day celebrations hosted by US President Joe Biden in the White House. 

His departure comes after a slew of Fine Gael TDs (equivalent to MPs) announced their decision to step down ahead of the next election, with Galway East TD Ciaran Cannon citing 'coarseness and a toxicity' in politics as one of the reasons he is leaving. 

Cannon said some of the criticism faced by politicians can be 'deeply damaging', adding that it 'feels like it's open season on 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, all of whom are planning to step down. 

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar speaking to the media at Blair House in Washington DC, during his visit to the US for St Patrick's Day. Picture date: Sunday March 17, 2024

Irish Taoiseach Leo Varadkar (R) gifts 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

Varadkar's departure comes just days after he faced staunch criticism from several members of the coalition following a major defeat in referendums on amending the Irish Constitution's language related to women in the home and the definition of families. 

The proposal would have expanded marriage to include 'durable relationships' such as cohabiting couples but it was rejected by 67.7 per cent.

The Irish public also rejected a proposal which would have changed language about a mother's 'duty in the home' with a clause to recognise care provided by family members to one another. 

But this was also overwhelmingly defeated, with 73 per cent voting against it.

Varadkar said the electorate had given the Government 'two wallops' as he conceded early that the proposals for change had been rejected.