Varadkar rules out early general election

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar: 'There are no plans for an early general election, we are focusing on the job, and a lot of the things the Government needs to get done in the next couple of months.'

The Taoiseach has ruled out an early general election and has as confirmed he will lead his party into the next poll.

Leo Varadkar has not given any consideration to stepping away from public life, despite previously stating that he would like to get out of politics by the age of 50.

Mr Varadkar said he wants Fine Gael to be in Government after the next election but not with Sinn Féin.

"I’m leading the party into the next election and hoping to form a government afterward and we'll see what happens after that."

Ruling out an early exit from politics, the 44-year-old said he has been advised to never again say that he intends to step aside before he reaches 50 because it "could be misinterpreted as a lack of commitment and desire, which there isn't".

“I'm enormously privileged to lead this Government, to be somebody who's been able to help hold the Office of the Taoiseach twice, and very much focused on the job.”

The latest a general election can be called is spring 2025. However, Mr Varadkar has said he will not be going to the polls early, despite sustained speculation that he will dissolve the Dáil in Autumn 2024.

"There are no plans for an early general election, we are focusing on the job, and a lot of the things the Government needs to get done in the next couple of months, particularly helping families with the cost of living and supporting business, making our communities safer and really driving forward home ownership."

He added: "The next national elections that will occur are the local and European elections, in June of next year."

The Fine Gael leader said his party had "very good" local elections in 2019 and he hopes to retain the current 250 local authority seats, "which is going to be tough, but I think it's possible".

However, he warned that it is " a big mistake" to think that local elections predict the outcome of general elections, even if the national ballot follows soon after.

"That's what happened last time. A very bad day for Sinn Féin and yet they were the largest party within seven or eight months without changing their leader."

Safety concerns

Asked about difficulties all political parties are experiencing in getting people to run, especially at a local level, Mr Varadkar admitted that concerns around safety as well as the volume of abuse directed at politicians online have been raised with him

Mr Varadkar said: "I had the chance in the last couple of weeks to sit down with some people whom I’m keen to have run in elections — they are my age and younger and you know, some are women, they do express concerns about safety or the impact on the family life, or abuse on social media. 

"All those things are real, what I would always say back to them is the positive sides of politics, the opportunities are very real too, they are very great — the chance to represent your community, the chance to represent your country, the chance to move away from giving out about things that frustrate you to actually being able to change them — that can be very rewarding as well."

Mr Varadkar said all five sitting Fine Gael MEPs will be running again in next year's election.

He said this is a "good sign" as "they certainly feel they can get re-elected, and we will put everything behind them."