Leo Varadkar is to announce he’s resigning as Ireland’s Prime Minister ahead of the next general election. The anti-Brexit politician served as Taoiseach (Irish Prime Minister) on two separate occasions – once between 2017 and 2020 – taking over from Enda Kenny.
He will also step down as party leader. It comes after the Europhile suffered a crushing defeat in a nationwide referendum aimed at changing the country’s constitution to widen the definition of family.
After the significant defeat, the 45-year-year admitted his Government had been given “two wallops” by the Irish electorate.
Speaking to Express.co.uk at the time, Ray Bassett, Ireland’s former Ambassador to Canada, Jamaica and the Bahamas, said: “There is severe embarrassment all around in Dublin after the Irish electorate soundly thrashed Leo Varadkar’s proposed two amendments to the Irish Constitution.
“The referendums involved changes to the definition of the family and the provision of care in the community. These proposals were supported by the main Opposition parties and all the main newspapers.”
Varadkar became Ireland’s youngest taoiseach in 2017 when he became leader of Fine Gael.
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