Following Kenny's resignation, Varadkar defeatedSimon Coveney in the2017 Fine Gael leadership election and was appointed Taoiseach on 14 June 2017. Aged 38, he was at that time the youngest Taoiseach in the history of the state.[2] He became the first Taoiseach from an ethnic minority group,[3] as well as Ireland's first, and the world's fifth,openly gay head of government.[4] He led Fine Gael into the2020 general election, in which the party won 35 seats, a loss of 15 seats since the2016 general election. After lengthy negotiations, Fine Gael formed a three-party coalition government withFianna Fáil and theGreen Party, with the Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael party leadersrotating the offices of Taoiseach and Tánaiste.[5]
Born on 18 January 1979, in theRotunda Hospital, Dublin, Varadkar is the third child and only son of Ashok and Miriam (née Howell) Varadkar. His father was born in Bombay (nowMumbai), India, and moved to the United Kingdom in the 1960s, to work as a doctor.[12] His mother, born inDungarvan, County Waterford, met her future husband while working as a nurse inSlough.[13] Early in 1971, they married in the UK.[14][15] Sophia, the elder of his two sisters,[16] was born while the family lived inLeicester. They moved to India,[17] before settling in Dublin in 1973,[18] where his other sister, Sonia, was born.[19]
Varadkar was twenty years old and a second-year medical student when he unsuccessfully contested the1999 local elections in theMulhuddart local electoral area. Varadkar was co-opted toFingal County Council in 2003, for theCastleknock local electoral area, as a replacement forSheila Terry. At the2004 local elections, he received the highest first-preference vote in the country with 4,894 votes and was elected on the first count.[25]
When Fine Gael formed a coalition government with theLabour Party, Varadkar was appointedMinister for Transport, Tourism and Sport on 9 March 2011.[29] This appointment was considered a surprise, as Varadkar was not known as a sports lover. He said that while he knew "a lot of facts ... I don't play the sports."[30]
In May 2011, Varadkar suggested Ireland was "very unlikely" to resume borrowing in 2012 and might need asecond bailout, causing jitters on international markets about Ireland's credibility.[31][32] Many of his cabinet colleagues frowned on Varadkar's forthrightness, as did theEuropean Central Bank.[33][34]TaoiseachEnda Kenny repeated the line of theGovernment of Ireland, that the State would not require a further bailout from the European Union or the International Monetary Fund, and said he had warned all ministers against publicly disparaging the economy.[35][36] Varadkar said that reaction to the story was hyped up but that he was not misquoted.[37] TheEvening Herald repeatedly described Varadkar as gaffe prone.[38][39]
Varadkar was returned to the Dáil at the2016 general election. He retained the health portfolio in an acting capacity until May of that year, due tothe delay in government formation. In one of his final acts as Minister for Health, Varadkar cut €12 million from the €35 million allocated to that year's budget for mental health care, telling the Dáil that the cuts were "necessary as the funding could be better used elsewhere."[42]
On 6 May 2016, after government formation talks had concluded, Taoiseach Enda Kenny appointed Varadkar asMinister for Social Protection.[43] During his time in the ministry, he launched a controversial[44] campaign against welfare fraud called "Welfare Cheats Cheat Us All.[45] It was labelled a "hate campaign" by a former social welfare inspector, who claimed the campaign was "all about [Varadkar's] aspirations to be leader".[44]
Varadkar and the Prime Minister of Canada,Justin Trudeau, delivering joint remarks in July 2017
On 2 June 2017, Varadkar waselected leader of Fine Gael, defeatingSimon Coveney.[46] Although Coveney had the support of more Fine Gael members than Varadkar, the electoral college system more strongly weighted the votes of the party's parliamentarians, with these strongly backing Varadkar.[47]
LikeEnda Kenny's second term, Varadkar relied upon the support of Independents and the abstention ofFianna Fáil TDs to support his bid for Taoiseach. On 14 June 2017, he was elected as Taoiseach in a 57–50 vote with 47 abstentions.[48] He became Ireland's first openly gay Taoiseach, as well as the youngest;[nb 1] however, he is not the youngest head of an Irish government, as bothÉamon de Valera andMichael Collins were younger on assuming their respective offices in revolutionary governments prior to the establishment of the state. He is also the first head of government who is of half-Indian descent.[49] It was also the first time that oneFine Gael Taoiseach was succeeded by another.[nb 2]
One of Varadkar's first acts as Taoiseach was to announcea referendum on abortion for 2018. He said that the government would also lay out a road map for achieving a low-carbon economy.[50]
Shortly after the Fitzgerald crisis, an impasse was reached in theBrexit talks, asArlene Foster, leader of theDemocratic Unionist Party, objected to a deal agreed to by Varadkar,British Prime MinisterTheresa May, andPresident of the European CommissionJean-Claude Juncker.[54][55] This prevented an agreement from being reached as the deadline approached. Varadkar stated he was "surprised and disappointed" the UK could not reach a deal.[56] Later in the week, a consensus deal was finalised. Varadkar stated he had received guarantees from the UK there would be no hard border between Ireland and Northern Ireland. He later said he and his cabinet had "achieved all we set out to achieve" during the talks before quoting former British Prime MinisterWinston Churchill, by saying "This is not the end but it is the end of the beginning".[57][58] AnIrish Times poll taken during these days showed Varadkar with a 53% approval rating, the highest for any Taoiseach since 2011, and showed Fine Gael with an eleven-point lead over Fianna Fáil. Government satisfaction was also at 41%, the highest in almost 10 years.[59]Irish Times columnist Pat Leahy claimed Varadkar had ended 2017 "on a high" and IrishCentral called it the Taoiseach's "finest hour".[60][61]
In January 2018, his opinion poll approval ratings reached 60%, a ten-year high for any Taoiseach.[62]
In January 2018, he announced that thereferendum to repeal Ireland's8th Amendment which prevented any liberalisation of restrictive abortion laws would take place in May. If passed, it would allow the government to introduce new legislation. It was proposed that women would be allowed unrestricted access to abortion up until 12 weeks, with exceptions if the mother's life is in danger up until six months. Varadkar said he would campaign for liberalising the laws, saying his mind was changed by difficult cases during his tenure asMinister for Health.[63] The referendum passed with 66% of the votes.[64]
Varadkar was included inTime magazine's100 Most Influential People of 2018.[65]
On 24 January 2019, Varadkar said in an interview withEuronews that he was standing firm on theIrish backstop and called Brexit an act of self-harm that was not fully thought through. He also said the technology promised by the Brexiteers to solve the Northern Ireland border issue "doesn't yet exist".[66]
"A Ministerial Broadcast by An Taoiseach Leo Varadkar, TD" redirects here. For further details on how COVID-19 impacted the country, seeCOVID-19 pandemic in the Republic of Ireland.
On 14 January 2020, Varadkar sought a dissolution of the32nd Dáil, which was granted by PresidentMichael D. Higgins, and scheduleda general election for 8 February.[70] In that election, Varadkar was re-elected in the Dublin West constituency,[71][72] but Fine Gael fell to 35 seats, 15 fewer than in2016, and falling to third place behindFianna Fáil (38 seats) andSinn Féin (37 seats). Varadkar ruled out any possibility of a Fine Gael–Sinn Féin coalition during the election campaign, though a "grand coalition" of Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael was floated as a final possibility.[73] However, on 12 February, Varadkar conceded that Fine Gael had lost the election and that he was very likely to become the nextOpposition Leader. Varadkar added that Fine Gael was "willing to step back" to allow Sinn Féin, as the winner of the popular vote, to have the first opportunity to form a government.[74] On 20 February, Varadkar offered his resignation to President Higgins atÁras an Uachtaráin, pursuant to the constitution, remaining, however, as Taoiseach untilthe formation of a new government.[75]
During this period, theCOVID-19 pandemic arrived in Ireland. While in Washington, D.C., ahead ofSaint Patrick's Day, Varadkar announced measures intended to stop COVID-19 spreading, including the closure of all schools, universities and childcare facilities from the following day, as well as the closure of all cultural institutions and the cancellation of "all indoor mass gatherings of more than 100 people and outdoor mass gatherings of more than 500 people".[76] After returning home early, Varadkar addressed the nation on Saint Patrick's night duringA Ministerial Broadcast by An Taoiseach Leo Varadkar, TD, introducing television viewers to the concept of "cocooning", i.e. "At a certain point... we will advise the elderly and people who have a long-term illness to stay at home for several weeks".[77][78][79] The speech was the most watched television event in Irish history, surpassing the previous record held byThe Late Late Toy Show by an additional total of about 25% and was widely distributed globally.[80][81] It was also plagiarised by Irish businessmanPeter Bellew, the chief operating officer at British low-cost airline groupEasyJet.[82]
In response to a March 2020Health Service Executive appeal to healthcare professionals, Varadkar rejoined the medical register and offered to work as a doctor one day each week.[83]
A draft programme for government was agreed between Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael, and the Green Party on 15 June 2020. It was determined that the position of Taoiseach would rotate between Micheál Martin and Leo Varadkar.[84] The programme needed the approval by each party's membership. Fianna Fáil and the Green Party require a simple majority and atwo-thirds vote, respectively, in a postal ballot of all members, while Fine Gael uses an electoral college system, with its parliamentary party making up 50% of the electorate, constituency delegates 25%, councillors 15% and the party's executive council filling the final 10%.[85]
On 26 June, Fine Gael voted 80%, Fianna Fáil voted 74% and the Green Party voted 76% in favour of the programme.Clare Bailey, the leader of theGreen Party in Northern Ireland – a branch of the Irish Green Party – publicly rejected the idea of the Greens being part of the coalition deal with Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael. She said the coalition deal proposed the "most fiscally conservative arrangements in a generation".[86] The coalition deal allowed for a government to be formed on 27 June, with Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin taking over asTaoiseach.[87][88] He was appointed byPresidentMichael D. Higgins on 27 June, marking the end of Varadkar's first term.[89]
Varadkar was appointed asTánaiste andMinister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment by his successor,Micheál Martin. It was agreed then that they would exchange positions in December 2022, with Varadkar retaking the position of Taoiseach for the remainder of the coalition's term.[5]
On 31 October 2020,Village published an article alleging that Varadkar had leaked confidential documents, including a draft contract between theHealth Service Executive andgeneral practitioners that was agreed but still subject to acceptance by GPs at the time, and officially unavailable to members of the Oireachtas. The article included screenshots ofWhatsApp messages, including one with a photo of the cover of the leaked document, and alleged the handwriting visible was Varadkar's.[90] WhileVillage claimed the leaks might be unlawful, Varadkar denied this was the case and described the article as "inaccurate and grossly defamatory". He said that the provision of the agreement by an informal communication channel was not the best practice.[91]
In response to the claims byVillage, the Green Party called for Varadkar to give a detailed account to the Dáil in response to the accusations. This request was seconded by Sinn Féin's health spokesperson, stating: "The facts for me here are clear – Leo, as the leader of Fine Gael and Taoiseach at the time, passed on a document to a friend about sensitive negotiations involving hundreds of millions of euro of taxpayers' money."[92] Varadkar's Fine Gael colleaguePaschal Donohoe also expressed a desire for Varadkar to answer questions in the Dáil.[93][94][95] Varadkar apologised in the Dáil for "errors of judgement" in sharing a copy of the contract, and rejected any suggestion that he had anything to gain personally from giving the IMO document to the NAGP president as "false and deeply offensive".[96]The leak was the subject of a criminal investigation.[97] In April 2022, a file was submitted to theDirector of Public Prosecutions (DPP) for review.[98][99] On 6 July 2022, the DPP decided that Varadkar would not face prosecution.[100][101]
On 23 November 2023, amass stabbing outside aprimary school inParnell Square East, Dublin happened, with a five-year-old girl and a woman in her 30s were seriously injured, and three others hurt[105] Following the knife attack,a riot took place in Dublin city centre due to the assailant being born in Algeria.[106] Leo Varadkar responded, saying he was "shocked" by the knife attack and praised the emergency services for responding "very quickly".[107] He said later that the rioters had brought "shame" to Dublin for their families and themselves,[108] and were not motivated by patriotism but by "hate" and their "love" of "violence", "chaos", and "causing pain to others", and pledged to use the "full resources of the law, the full machinery of the state to punish those involved" in what he called "grotesque events". Varadkar also pledged to pass new laws to enable police "to make better use of" CCTV evidence and "modernise" laws regarding hate and incitement.[109]
Varadkar on Saint Patrick's Day at theWhite House, in 2024
In March 2024,two referendums were held on proposedamendments to the Constitution of Ireland. The Thirty-ninth Amendment of the Constitution (The Family) Bill 2023 proposed to revise the definition of family to include durable relationships outside marriage. The Fortieth Amendment of the Constitution (Care) Bill 2023 proposed to remove references to a woman's "life within the home" and "duties in the home" and add a new article on care within the family. Voters overwhelmingly rejected both proposed amendments, delivering a rebuke to a government and in the eyes of many, personally to Varadkar.[110]
On 20 March 2024, Varadkar announced his intention to step down as Taoiseach and Fine Gael leader, saying that he was no longer "the best person for the job".[111] He said his "reasons for stepping down are both personal and political".[112][113][114] He said that his resignation as Fine Gael leader would be with immediate effect, and that he would continue in office as Taoiseach pending the appointment of his successor.[115] On 24 March,Simon Harris was elected unopposed in the2024 Fine Gael leadership election.[116] On 8 April, Varadkar submitted his resignation to President Higgins.[6] TheDáil nomination for Taoiseach was held on 9 April, leading to the appointment of Harris as the new Taoiseach by PresidentMichael D. Higgins.
On 16 July, Varadkar announced that he would not stand for re-election at thenext general election, and would retire from politics.[117][9]
After becoming a Teachta Dála in 2007, Varadkar developed a reputation in the late 2000s and early 2010s as somewhat of an outspoken maverick. Just one week into his role as a TD, Varadkar branded sitting TaoiseachBertie Ahern "cunning and devious" in the Dáil.[118] In 2011, he upset a number of his own party colleagues when he negatively compared embattled Fianna Fáil leader and TaoiseachBrian Cowen to former Fine Gael leader and TaoiseachGarret FitzGerald.[119][120] By 2012, Varadkar's tendency to make "off the cuff" remarks led to theEvening Herald describing him as "gaffe-prone".[38][39] In 2017,Irish Times columnist Stephen Collins described Varadkar as "coming across to the public, especially younger voters, as if he is not a politician at all".[121] In 2022, theNew York Times noted that "critics have pointed to Mr. Varadkar's stiffness of manner and tendency to speak his mind, to the point of insensitivity".[122]
In 2010, theIrish Examiner described Varadkar as "conservative"[123] while that same year the Irish magazineHot Press described his policy positions as "radical right", although in the same article, he described himself as "centre-right", which he defined as "to be somebody who is right of centre is somebody who has broadlyliberal-conservative/Christian-democrat ideals, and the basic principles of that is that before you can distribute wealth you have to create it. So the first thing that you need to do is set up an environment in which wealth can be created, and then it's the role of the government to distribute it reasonably equitably."[119] In 2017,the Guardian stated that "Varadkar's centre-right politics are clearly conservative".[124] In 2022, the political magazinethe Phoenix suggested that in 2010 Varadkar was the ideological leader of a "hard-right" faction within Fine Gael who unsuccessfully sought to replace leader Enda Kenny with Richard Bruton, but over the course of the next decade Varadkar was brought further and further into the political centre.[28]
In 2011, Varadkar cited Ryanair CEOMichael O'Leary as the Irish person he most admired due to his forthrightness, andOtto von Bismarck as a historic figure he admired, crediting Bismarck as a conservative who was able to enact social reforms.[125][120] In 2021 Varadkar gave a dedicated lecture onNoël Browne to students ofTrinity College Dublin, in which he summarised Browne's career. Varadkar noted Browne's cantankerous reputation but generally praised Browne, with Varadkar stating that he always "admired his idealism, his passion, and his determination to stand up for the causes and the people he believed in".[126]
Varadkar is a proponent of tax cuts and welfare reform,[125] and supports investment in Ireland bymultinational corporations such asApple Inc, alongside keeping Ireland's corporate tax rate low.[127] During his time as Minister for Social Protection in 2016 and 2017, Varadkar launched the "Welfare Cheats Cheat Us All" campaign, aimed at those committing welfare fraud.[118]
Varadkar alongsideJüri Ratas, the Prime Minister of Estonia, andDonald Tusk, President of the European Council, in 2017
Varadkar, alongside his party Fine Gael, universally opposedBrexit, and much of his time during his first tenure as Taoiseach was spent in negotiations with the British government over how the shared border between the United Kingdom and Ireland would operate.[128]
Varadkar is a supporter ofCETA, a proposed free trade agreement between Canada and the European Union.[129] However, Varadkar has faced opposition to many aspects of the agreement, not just from opposition parties, but also members of his own government coalition, especially members of the Green party who object in particular to a proposed "investment court" system. Critics of the agreement fear the investment court could be used to strike down environmentalist laws.[130]
In October 2023, he condemnedthe attack on Israel by Hamas, saying, "The [Irish] government condemns it unreservedly, there can be no excuse for targeting women, children, taking children and women, civilians as hostage". Varadkar also urged "restraint" from the Israeli government, saying that "the free world is standing in solidarity with Israel", but that could change if the Israeli response "results in unnecessary civilian deaths in Gaza".[131]
Varadkar later criticisedIsrael'sblockade of the Gaza Strip and what he called the "collective punishment" of people in Gaza.[132] In November, he commented on the release of 8-year-old Irish-Israeli citizen Emily Hand, who had been kidnapped by Hamas, saying, "An innocent child who was lost has now been found and returned... A little girl was snatched from her home and held captive for almost seven weeks. She spent her ninth birthday as a hostage." He was criticised for the use of the phrases "lost" and "found" by Israel's foreign ministerEli Cohen.[133] Varadkar rejectedcalls to boycott theEurovision Song Contest 2024 due to Israel's participation.[134] In January 2024, he expressed doubts about South Africa'sgenocide case against Israel.[135] In March 2024, he resisted calls to boycott a plannedSaint Patrick's Day (17 March) meeting with the American presidentJoe Biden, who has been the target of fierce criticism in Ireland over his stance on the Gaza war;[136][137] Varadkar noted "differences of opinions [between the U.S. and Ireland] in relation to Israel and Gaza".[138]
In a 2010 interview, Varadkar stated that while he did not consider homosexuality morally wrong, he opposed same-sex marriage, although he supportedcivil partnerships.[119] However, following his public acknowledgement in January 2015 that he was a gay man, Varadkar began advocating for same-sex marriage during the national debate in the prelude to the2015 referendum on same-sex marriage.[139][140]
In 2022 Varadkar stated he was in support of thetransgender community, and credited a gender recognition legislation brought into law during the Fine Gael/Labour government of 2011 to 2016 as a "huge step forward" in Ireland in terms of trans issues.[141]
In 2010 Varadkar stated that he opposed abortion,[119] that he was not in favour of introducing new legislation on abortion,[119] and that he opposed abortion in cases of rape because he felt it would lead to "abortion on demand".[123] However, by 2014, Varadkar had changed his position and began arguing in the Dáil in favour of abortion up to 12 weeks, and more if the mother's life was in danger.[142] During the national debate that occurred before the referendum on abortion in 2018, Varadkar said that there had been a "fundamental shift" in his views on abortion over the years, and repudiated what he had said in 2010.[142][143]
In 2010, Varadkar was an advocate of a scheme in which immigrants to Ireland would be paid to return to their country of origin.[119] Varadkar suggested that at the time of theNice Treaty referendums in Ireland in the early 2000s, the public were told there would not be large-scale immigration to Ireland in the aftermath, but this was not the case, before further suggesting that Ireland had not been suitably prepared for the amount of immigration it experienced during theCeltic Tiger period.[119]
In a 2022 interview, Varadkar was critical of British politicianPriti Patel in her role asHome Secretary, stating that her plan to "send asylum seekers to Rwanda is disgusting".[141] In the same interview, Varadkar stated "I have always been supportive of migration" and "supportive of accepting refugees from war-torn countries", although he said he made the distinction between "people who come here legally and contribute to our society, and those who come here illegally and seek to gain status through subterfuge or falsehood".[141] In June 2022, Varadkar began hosting a Ukrainian refugee in his home.[144]
In January 2023, Varadkar announced that his government would be looking at ways to strengthen border control against illegal immigration.[145]
Varadkar is the first Irish government leader of partly Indian origin and has visited India on a number of occasions. He completed his medical internship atKEM Hospital in his father's childhood city ofMumbai.[146]
During an interview onRTÉ Radio on 18 January 2015 (his 36th birthday), Varadkar spoke publicly for the first time about being gay: "it's not something that defines me. I'm not a half-Indian politician, or a doctor politician or a gay politician for that matter. It's just part of who I am, it doesn't define me, it is part of my character I suppose".[147] Varadkar was a prominent advocate of thesame-sex marriage referendum.[148][149] His partner, Matthew Barrett, is a doctor atMater Misericordiae University Hospital.[150][151]
In 2017, Varadkar completed a course in professional Irish, and devised anIrish language form for his surname,de Varad.[152] He has said, "My philosophy towards Irish is just to speak it! Speak Irish! It's not about getting it perfect – it's about having fun and making an effort to speak it."[153]
Although raised in a Catholic household, Varadkar himself isnon-religious, but finds religion "fascinating".[154]
^Only twoIrish heads of government since 1919,Éamon de Valera (born 14 October 1882, and aged 36 on 1 April 1919) andMichael Collins (born 16 October 1890, and aged 31 on 16 January 1922), have been younger than Varadkar (born 18 January 1979, and aged 38 on 14 June 2017); however, both were before the title ofTaoiseach was adopted under theConstitution of Ireland (1937) and before an Irish state came into internationally recognised existence on 6 December 1922.
^By the end of August 1922, only two heads of government from the pro-Treaty Sinn Féin party had died in office:Arthur Griffith (who died on 12 August 1922) andMichael Collins (who died on 22 August 1922). They were succeeded byW. T. Cosgrave of the same pro-Treaty Sinn Féin faction; after being known asCumann na nGaedheal from 1923 to 1933, it merged with two smaller parties in 1933 to form Fine Gael, which was soon led by Cosgrave from 1934 to 1944. This was before the title of Taoiseach was adopted under the 1937 Constitution, before the name Fine Gael was adopted in 1933, and the state came into internationally recognised existence on 6 December 1922.
^abDoyle, Kevin (30 May 2011)."New gaffe is just one of a growing list".Evening Herald. Dublin.ISSN0791-6892. Archived fromthe original on 25 September 2012. Retrieved26 August 2018.He spent years tongue-lashing Calamity Coughlin for her gaffes, but now Leo Varadkar is building up a bit of a reputation himself. The Fine Gael 'Young Turk' has a growing list of slip-ups, with the latest being the most serious.
^abLynch, Andrew (5 September 2008)."Leo won't become king of the political jungle with his roaring gaffes".Evening Herald. Dublin.ISSN0791-6892.Archived from the original on 25 September 2012. Retrieved26 August 2018.In a week where the Government should have been feeling the heat over its economic woes, Varadkar has landed himself in hot water with his suggestion that unemployed immigrants should be offered six months' worth of dole money in return for going back to their own countries.
^Murray, Shona; Doyle, Kevin (29 January 2018)."Leo Varadkar reveals abortion referendum will be held in May".Irish Independent. Dublin.ISSN0021-1222.Archived from the original on 9 March 2019. Retrieved30 January 2018."As minister for health I became convinced that abortion had no place in the constitution" said Mr Varadkar. Of the most compelling cases was that of "Miss Y" a migrant woman who was turned away from an English port when she went to the UK for an abortion. "She went on hunger strike and became suicidal" said the Taoiseach.
"Statement by Taoiseach Leo Varadkar at Government Buildings".Department of the Taoiseach (gov.ie). 20 March 2024.Archived from the original on 20 March 2024.I know this will come as a surprise to many and a disappointment to some. I hope you will at least understand my decision. 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.
Varadkar, Leo (20 March 2024).Irish government press conference (Speech). Government Buildings.
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