Exit Varadkar

Leo Varadkar was the youngest ever prime minister of Ireland when he took over as Taoiseach in 2017 and the first openly gay leader in a country hitherto defined by its strict Roman Catholic mores. His resignation yesterday came as a bolt from the blue to the political establishment and yet can be seen as a reflection of his lost authority.

He rattled off a long list of achievements, which he said had left Ireland a better place than he found it. But he was honest enough to appreciate there would be many who did not share this assessment. Quite a few are in the UK. His role during the negotiations over Brexit was, to put it charitably, unhelpful, not just to this country but to Ireland, North and South. He seemed keener on being patted on the back by Brussels than achieving an agreement of benefit to the island as a whole.

But it was in domestic politics that Mr Varadkar foundered. In trying to recast his country in an image promoted by Dublin’s metropolitan elite, he managed to lose two referendums and cause division over matters best left to personal decision making. The defeats involved changing the country’s constitution to make it more “inclusive”.

The results were greeted with the usual excuses – misinformation from opponents, internet trolls, a failure to explain properly and the basic ignorance of voters. Perhaps Mr Varadkar realised that he was not as in tune with his country’s voters as he imagined. His open borders immigration policy has also stoked unnecessary tensions in Ireland.

His resignation will trigger a minor crisis within the three-party coalition that forms Ireland’s government but it will pass with the election of his successor. Mr Varadkar is unlikely to be missed.