Leo Varadkar faces some tight squeezes as shine wears off a year after ascent

One year on from becoming Taoiseach, Leo Varadkar’s popularity has increased, but several major issues threaten his reign, writes Political Correspondent Elaine Loughlin.

This time last year the world looked on as an openly gay man of Indian heritage became leader of a small country on the edge of Europe.

While the international media made much of Leo Varadkar’s backstory, it was almost a footnote to the Irish public. However, it did send out a clear message that this country had shed its conservative Catholic image.