Simon Harris | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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.jpg) Harris in 2024 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Tánaiste | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Assumed office 23 January 2025 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Taoiseach | Micheál Martin | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Micheál Martin | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Minister for Finance | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Assumed office 18 November 2025 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Taoiseach | Micheál Martin | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Paschal Donohoe | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Taoiseach | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| In office 9 April 2024 – 23 January 2025 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| President | Michael D. Higgins | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Tánaiste | Micheál Martin | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Leo Varadkar | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Micheál Martin | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Leader of Fine Gael | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Assumed office 24 March 2024 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Deputy | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Leo Varadkar | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Teachta Dála | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Assumed office February 2011 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Constituency | Wicklow | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Wicklow County Councillor | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| In office 2009–2011 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Constituency | Greystones | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal details | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | (1986-10-17)17 October 1986 (age 39) Greystones,County Wicklow, Ireland | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Political party | Fine Gael | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Other political affiliations | Fianna Fáil (before 2003) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Spouse | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Children | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Education | St David's Holy Faith | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Alma mater | Dublin Institute of Technology (attended) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Website | Official website | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Simon Harris (born 17 October 1986) is an IrishFine Gael politician serving asTánaiste andMinister for Finance since 2025, having previously served asTaoiseach from 2024 to 2025,Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade andMinister for Defence from January to November 2025. He has beenleader of Fine Gael since 2024 and aTD for theWicklow constituency since 2011. ACabinet minister since 2016, he previously served as aminister of state from 2014 to 2016.[1][2][3]
Born inGreystones, Harris became politically active as a teenager, campaigning on behalf of children withautism andattention deficit disorder. He was elected toWicklow County Council in the2009 local elections. He was elected toDáil Éireann at the2011 general election, becoming the "baby of the Dáil" at age 24, and was appointedMinister of State at the Department of Finance in 2014. Following the formation of aFine Gael minority government in 2016, he was appointedMinister for Health. On the formation of thecoalition government in 2020, he was appointedMinister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science. From December 2022 to June 2023, he also served asMinister for Justice during the maternity leave of Cabinet colleagueHelen McEntee.
AfterLeo Varadkar resigned in March 2024, Harris was the only candidate in the2024 Fine Gael leadership election. Appointed Taoiseach on 9 April 2024 at age 37, he became the youngest holder of the office in the state's history.[4] Due to his use of social media he was dubbed the "TikTok Taoiseach".[5]
Harris was born inGreystones,County Wicklow, in 1986. He is the eldest of three children born to Bart, a taxi driver, and Mary Harris, a special needs assistant and Montessori teacher.[6][7][8] His sister was born on his third birthday, and his brother is eight years younger than him.[9] A grand-uncle of his was a Fine Gael councillor inDún Laoghaire.[10]
Harris was educated atSt David's Holy Faith Secondary School in Greystones, where he was active in drama and washead boy.[11][12] At the age of 13, he had written a play.[13] He first became involved in local politics as a fifteen-year-old when he set up the North Wicklow Triple A Alliance to help the families ofautistic children and children withattention deficit disorder.[11] As aJunior Certificate student, he lobbied politicians to get better facilities to allow children with such disabilities to be integrated into mainstream education.[14] Harris was a member ofFianna Fáil and canvassed forDick Roche in the2002 Irish general election,[15] but was later convinced to join Fine Gael byEnda Kenny.[16] He was elected toYoung Fine Gael's national executive in 2003.[17]
Harris initially studied Valuation Surveying (AKA Property Economics) for a year (2004/5) before switching to Journalism and French both atDublin Institute of Technology, and dropped out during 2005/2006 academic year to pursue a career in politics.[18][19]
Harris began working as a parliamentary assistant to his future cabinet colleagueFrances Fitzgerald in 2008, when she was a member ofSeanad Éireann.[13] At the2009 local elections, Harris was elected toWicklow County Council,[20] with the highest percentage vote of anycounty councillor in Ireland,[13] and to GreystonesTown Council.[3] As a councillor, he served as chairperson of the County Wicklow Joint Policing Committee and Chairperson of theHSE Regional Health Forum.[21] He was a member of Wicklow County Council's Housing Strategic Policy Committee[21] and Wicklow Vocational Educational Committee.[21]
Harris was elected toDáil Éireann in 2011, taking the third seat in theWicklow constituency.[20] As the youngest deputy in the31st Dáil, he was selected by Fine Gael to nominateEnda Kenny forTaoiseach, making his maiden speech.[22] Harris served on the DáilPublic Accounts Committee (PAC) and the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure, and Reform.[23][24] He was also a member of theOireachtas cross-party group on Mental Health, and introduced the Mental Health (Anti-Discrimination) Bill 2013, in June 2013.[25]
Harris ran unsuccessfully as a Fine Gael candidate in theSouth constituency at the2014 European Parliament election.[3]
On 15 July 2014, Harris was appointed asMinister of State at the Department of Finance with responsibility for theOffice of Public Works, Public Procurement, and International Banking.[26][27]
During a period of intense flooding throughout the country during the winter of 2015 and 2016, Harris was forced to deny accusations that the government had left €13m in the budget for flood relief works in 2015 unspent, while he had also secured funding for flood defences in his own constituency.[28]
On 6 May 2016, Harris was appointed to the cabinet asMinister for Health.[29][30] In his first year in the job, Harris faced the possibility of 30,000 health workers and 40,000 nurses going on strike.[31] The planned strikes were later called off.[32]
In 2016, Harris contributed to the "A Healthy Weight for Ireland – Obesity Policy and Action Plan 2016–2025", a policy outlining "the Government's desire to assist its people to achieve better health, and in particular to reduce the levels of overweight and obesity", in which Harris claims that "the approach taken in developing this policy was based on the Government framework for improved health and wellbeing of Ireland".[33]
In 2017, Harris was accused of "practising hypocrisy" over his stance on the Sisters of Charity's ownership of theNational Maternity Hospital.[34] The controversy saw the resignations ofPeter Boylan and Chris Fitzpatrick from the board of the hospital.[35][36] The Religious Sisters of Charity later relinquished ownership of three hospitals: St. Vincent's University Hospital in Dublin, St. Vincent's Private, and St. Michael's. Harris was re-appointed whenLeo Varadkar succeeded Kenny as Taoiseach in June 2017.[37]
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Harris supported the legalisation ofabortion in Ireland. He was the minister responsible for theThirty-sixth Amendment of the Constitution,[38] approved in a referendum, which removed theconstitutional ban on abortion.[39] He also introduced theHealth (Regulation of Termination of Pregnancy) Act 2018 which permitted abortion under specified circumstances.[40]
On 26 April 2018, the HSE confirmed that 206 women developed cervical cancer after having a screening test which was subsequently deemed to be potentially inaccurate on lookback, once a woman presented with a confirmed diagnosis of Cervical Cancer and given the known limitations of screening using smear technology.[41] Inthe resulting scandal, Harris was criticised for his handling of the matter on multiple occasions.[42][43][44][45][46]
In 2018, Harris intervened in the case of an 8-year-old Chinese boy who had been born in Dublin but was facing deportation. After an appeal to theDepartment of Justice, the boy was permitted to remain in Ireland.[8]
On 20 February 2019, Harris survived a motion of no-confidence over his handling of the rising costs (over €2 billion) of the newNational Children's Hospital.[47][48] The motion was voted down by 58 votes to 53 with 37 abstentions.[49][50][51]
Harris introduced theHealth (Preservation and Protection and other Emergency Measures in the Public Interest) Act 2020, emergency legislation in response to theCOVID-19 pandemic, which was enacted on 20 March 2020.[52][53]
On 27 June 2020, Harris was appointed asMinister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, leading a newdepartment in thegovernment led byMicheál Martin.[54][55] On 4 May 2022, he published "Funding our Future", a new policy on sustainably funding higher education and reducing the cost of third-level education for students and families.[56]
Harris was the Fine Gael Director of Elections for councillor James Geoghegan's campaign in the2021 Dublin Bay South by-election.[57] Following Leo Varadkar's appointment as Taoiseach on 17 December 2022, he was re-appointed to the same position, as well asMinister for Justice on a temporary basis during the maternity leave ofHelen McEntee.[58]
Leo Varadkar resigned asleader of Fine Gael on 20 March 2024, triggering aleadership election. Varadkar indicated that he would also resign as Taoiseach upon the election of the new Fine Gael leader. Nominations opened at 10 a.m. on 21 March 2024. By that afternoon, more than half of the Fine Gael parliamentary party had announced their support for Harris to be the next leader and all other cabinet ministers had ruled themselves out of the contest. Harris confirmed his intention to run for Fine Gael leader on the evening of 21 March 2024 on theSix One News.[59] When the deadline for nominations was reached on 24 March 2024, Harris was the only candidate, and he was confirmed as leader at the party's meeting in Athlone the same day.[60][61] Both other government parties have indicated that they wish the government to run its full term notwithstanding the change of leadership.[62][63] Varadkar tendered his resignation as Taoiseach to the President on 8 April.[64] The Dáil reconvened after the Easter recess on 9 April, when Harris was forwarded for the nomination of Taoiseach.[65]
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Following the resignation of Varadkar as Taoiseach on 8 April, Harris wasnominated by the Dáil as Taoiseach on 9 April 2024, by a vote of 88 to 69. He received his appointment as Taoiseach by PresidentMichael D. Higgins shortly afterwards as the youngest in the history of the state.[66] Accepting the nomination of the Dáil, he paid tribute to his predecessor and acknowledged his status as the youngest elected officeholder, promising to be a "Taoiseach for all".[67]
The cabinet formation of the34th government was announced by Harris in the Dáil that evening; with the appointment ofPeter Burke asMinister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment after Coveney's departure, likewise withPatrick O'Donovan asMinister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science in replacement of Harris.[68]
Harris condemned the2023 Hamas-led attack on Israel.[69] He also criticisedIsrael's military operations in theGaza Strip, saying "It's not about being pro-Israeli or pro-Palestinian. It's about being pro-international law. It's been about pro-human rights. It's been pro-peace. And I think what's happening in Gaza is unconscionable."[69] Calling for aceasefire in theGaza war, Harris said: "40,000 dead in Gaza is a milestone the world must be ashamed of. International diplomacy has failed to protect innocent children, some only days old."[70] Ireland announced therecognition of aPalestinian state on 28 May 2024, a move he described as "important and historic".[71]
In April 2024, Harris said that Ireland would not provide a "loophole" for other countries' immigration issues. This followed an increase in migration of asylum seekers from the United Kingdom to Ireland via theIrish border, due to theRwanda asylum plan.[72] Harris dismissed British newspaper speculation that Ireland would join the Rwanda scheme, maintaining that Ireland would have its own immigration policy.[73] In September 2024, Harris defended his statements linking homelessness and migration, by saying that the most common source of homelessness in Dublin was leavingdirect provision.[74]
On 8 November 2024, after returning from aEuropean Council meeting in Hungary, Harris sought a dissolution of the33rd Dáil, which was granted by PresidentMichael D. Higgins, and scheduleda general election for 29 November. In a speech atGovernment Buildings, Harris said "the time is now right to ask the Irish people to give a new mandate" and "if you give me your trust, I will give you my all".[75]
On 22 November, during the final weekend of the campaign, Simon Harris walked away from an emotional exchange with Charlotte Fallon, a carer from St Joseph's Foundation, inKanturk,County Cork. Fallon, a worker in a section 39 disability organisation, accused the government of neglecting carers and people with disabilities. Harris dismissed her claims, leading to a tense exchange and his abrupt departure after she called him "not a good man". The incident, captured on video by RTÉ News, drew criticism from activists and opposition politicians who condemned Harris for his dismissive response. Fallon later said she felt "shaken" and upset. Harris rang her the following morning to apologise, admitting he had been "harsh" and should have given her more time. Fine Gael deputy leader Helen McEntee defended Harris, citing the long day of campaigning.[76][77]
Harris was re-elected to the Dáil on the first count.[78] He resigned as Taoiseach on the morning of 18 December, which was the day of the first meeting of the34th Dáil. Harris and the other members of the government continued to carry out their duties until their successors were appointed on 23 January 2025.[79]
On 23 January 2025, Harris was appointed asTánaiste,Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade andMinister for Defence in thegovernment led by Micheál Martin, following the2024 general election.[80]
On 18 November 2025 he was appointed asMinister for Finance following the resignation ofPaschal Donohoe to take up the role of Managing Director and Chief Knowledge Officer of theWorld Bank.
In 2017, Harris married Caoimhe Wade, acardiac nurse, at St Patrick's Church inKilquade.[81] They have a daughter and a son.[9] Harris lives withCrohn's disease,[82] but has said it has little impact on his day-to-day life.[83]
Harris is the eldest of three siblings.[84] His brother is autistic and runs the autism services charity AsIAm, which Simon Harris co-founded.[85]
Harris is noted for his social media presence, especially onTikTok, having been nicknamed the "TikTok Taoiseach".[86][87] He usedInstagram for live streams while Minister of Health during the COVID-19 pandemic, which was cited by theIrish Examiner as a rare occasion in which a government minister took questions from the general public.[88][89]
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Minister of State at the Department of Finance 2014–2016 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Minister for Health 2016–2020 | Succeeded by |
| New office | Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science 2020–2024 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Minister for Justice December 2022–June 2023 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Taoiseach 2024–2025 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Tánaiste 2025–present | Incumbent |
| Preceded by | Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade 2025 | Succeeded by |
| Minister for Defence 2025 | ||
| Preceded by | Minister for Finance 2025–present | Incumbent |
| Honorary titles | ||
| Preceded by | Baby of the Dáil 2011–2016 | Succeeded by |
| Party political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Leader of Fine Gael 2024–present | Incumbent |
Simon Harris navigational boxes | |||||||||
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