Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar says he’s quitting as head of his party and the country
LONDON (AP) — Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar says he will step down as leader of the country soon as a successor is chosen.
Varadkar announced Wednesday he is quitting immediately as head of the center-right Fine Gael party, part of Ireland’s coalition government. He’ll be replaced as prime minister after a party leadership contest.
He said his reasons were “both personal and political” and he had no firm future plans. He said he plans to remain in parliament as a backbench lawmaker.
Varadkar, 45, has had two spells as taoiseach, or prime minister — between 2017 and 2020, and again since December 2022.