Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar announces resignation
Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar on Wednesday announced he will step down once his party selects his successor. Varadkar, who is gay, also said he will immediately resign as Fine Gael’s leader. “My reasons for stepping down are both personal and political,” said Varadkar in comments he made outside the government’s offices in Dublin, the Irish capital.
Varadkar, 45, became Ireland’s first gay prime minister in 2017. He raised LGBTQ issues with Pope Francis when he visited Ireland in 2018.
Varadkar the following year attended a St. Patrick’s Day breakfast at then-Vice President Mike Pence’s official residence in D.C.
with his husband, Dr. Matthew Barrett. Varadkar and Barrett last week attended a St. Patrick’s Day event that Vice President Kamala Harris and second gentleman Doug Emhoff hosted at the Naval Observatory.
