Leo Varadkar ready to launch leadership campaign

Fine Gael leadership contender Leo Varadkar and his team are ready to immediately launch his election bid if Taoiseach Enda Kenny only signals when he may resign at a party meeting today.

A senior member of Mr Varadkar’s campaign team told the Irish Examiner that if Mr Kenny stops short of resigning and instead signals when he will go that this is enough to start the race.

“Look at what happened with [David] Cameron once he announced he was going, it triggered the Tory race the next day,” said a Varadkar strategist.