Irish prime minister announces surprise resignation

Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar announced on Wednesday his intention to leave office as soon as a new “taoiseach” could be elected to replace him. He also resigned as leader of the left-leaning Fine Gael party, effective immediately. Varadkar was Ireland’s first openly gay and biracial leader and has twice held the office of taoiseach, or prime minister. The first term was from 2017 to 2020. He assumed the office again in December 2022. “There’s never a right time to resign high office,” he said. “However, this is as good a time as any.” Varadkar said the annual budget was finalized and the institutions of the Good Friday Agreement, an agreement signed in 1998 to end 30 years of conflict in Northern Ireland, were working again. He also highlighted the country’s stable trade relationship with the United Kingdom in the “post-Brexit era.”

What made Varadkar step back? He acknowledged the decision may “come as a surprise” and cited his reasons for leaving as both “personal and political.” Varadkar described the importance of having a taoiseach and party leader who can strengthen and renew his or her team while driving new policies and getting re-elected. “After seven years in office, I don't feel I'm the best person for that job anymore,” he said. Despite his resignation, Varadkar added he would “wholeheartedly recommend a career in politics to anyone considering it.”

His resignation comes days after making controversial pro-Palestinian comments during his St. Patrick's Day visit to the White House. “Leaders often ask me why the Irish have such empathy for the Palestinian people,” he said. “We see our history in their eyes. A story of displacement, of dispossession… and now hunger.”

How is the public responding? A wide range of opinions were expressed online. Prominent British Old Catholic cleric Calvin John Robinson described the departure as “another win for Ireland” and a sign that islanders are rejecting “globalism and woke ideologies.” British Labor Party Leader Keir Starmer honored Varadkar’s service and political achievements, adding, “I wish him well for the future” on X. Conversely, the official X account of the Lidl Ireland grocery chain photoshopped Varadkar into an employee uniform, posting “We'll consider your application Leo,” hours after the announcement.

Dig deeper: Read my report in The Sift on a recent vote to keep the language on marriage and women’s “life in the home” in the Irish Constitution.