Seismic announcement caught some in FG by surprise

Leo Varadkar has announced that he is to stand down as Fine Gael Leader and he will leave the office of Taoiseach when the Dáil returns after the Easter break.

A new Fine Gael Leader will be in place by the Fine Gael Ard Fheis on Saturday 6 April.

This was a seismic political announcement which caught some of Leo Varadkar’s party colleagues by surprise.

It means that the starting gun has already sounded on the search to find a new Fine Gael Taoiseach, with Minister for Higher Education Simon Harris the early frontrunner.

The outgoing Taoiseach said his reasons are both personal and political, but after careful consideration he did feel he was the best person for the job anymore.

That was no doubt a veiled reference to the resounding defeat of the recent referendums and the upcoming electoral tests at local and European level.

Leo Varadkar said serving as Taoiseach was the most fulfilling time of his life.

Amid much speculation about what he does next, he insisted that he had nothing lined up and and it was part of leadership to know when to pass on the baton.

Despite the prospect that this Government is set to elect its third Taoiseach, the Tánaiste has insisted that it does have still have a mandate and a Dáil majority and he wants it to serve a full term.

That would mean no general election until 2025.