Former Taoiseach Leo Varadkar will not contest next general election

Former Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has announced that he will not contest the next general election.

The Fine Gael TD, who stood down as Taoiseach in March, announced on Tuesday night he would not contest a nomination to run for the party in Dublin West.

“I have decided that I will not be seeking a nomination to contest the next General Election,” he told a meeting for the Fine Gael Dublin West Constituency Organisation.

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“I am doing so now as I want to give potential nominees sufficient time to prepare for the Selection Convention in September. I was also very keen to make this announcement in person and to thank all of you who have supported me and canvassed for me since I first ran for election back in 1999.

“I have been an elected representative for more than 20 years and have been elected on five occasions, first to represent the Castleknock/Blanchardstown area on Fingal County Council and subsequently to represent Dublin West in Dáil Éireann in four consecutive elections. It has been the privilege of my life and I am so grateful to have had the chance to serve my community and my country as a councillor and a TD.

“I have decided that the time has come for me to explore new options and opportunities. I have never seen myself as a career politician and I am keen to see how I can make my contribution to society in other ways. I shall, of course, complete my term in Dáil and will continue to be a full-time TD until it is dissolved. I am making this decision at a time when the Fine Gael party is in good shape.

“We have a new leader, a fresh ministerial team, professional and capable staff in Headquarters and the Oireachtas. The party is well-funded, well organised and has had a successful Local and European Elections. We are also in good shape here in Dublin West.

“When I took over leadership of the organisation in Dublin West back in 2006 we had no TD and only one Senator and one councillor. We now have a TD, a Senator and five councillors representing us. We secured 24% of the vote in the last General Election and in the recent Local Elections, we secured 20% of the vote which was more than any other party. I am confident, therefore, that we can hold our seat in the next General Election and help Fine Gael to secure an historic fourth term in Government.”

Mr Varadkar confirmed that he and Fine Gael Senator Emer Currie will not provide a joint “enhanced constituency service and a new constituency office in Main Street Blanchardstown”.

It was widely expected that Mr Varadakar would not run for election again following his announcement in March that he was stepping down as Taoiseach.

He first became Taoiseach in 2017, becoming Ireland’s youngest ever leader at 38. He was also the first mixed-race and gay head of the Irish Government.

He was first elected as TD for Dublin West in May 2007, having previously served as a councillor. He was 28.

Mr Varadkar became a Cabinet minister in 2011 for the first time, entering the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport. He later served as Minister for Health and Minister for Social Protection, before becoming Fine Gael leader and Taoiseach in 2017, replacing Enda Kenny.

He led the party to a historic coalition with Fianna Fáil in 2020, becoming Taoiseach Michéal Martin’s Tánaiste.

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