The 100-Year Life Health Education and Government
Leo Varadkar is stepping down as Irish prime minister and leader of the centre-right Fine Gael party. In an emotional address on Wednesday, he said that after seven years in office, he no longer felt he was “the best person for that job” and that his reasons for stepping down were both “personal and political”. When Varadkar took control, he was the youngest person to hold the post and Ireland’s first openly gay and biracial leader. He once said he did not intend to stay in politics beyond the age of 50 (he’s now 45). He oversaw pivotal Irish referendums, including on marriage equality in 2015 and abortion legalisation in 2018. But earlier this month, the government suffered a defeat in simultaneous referendums on family and care. Speaking from Leinster House, the seat of Ireland’s parliament, Varadkar was flanked by six of his ministers. The conversation now turns to which one might replace him.