Leo Varadkar looked 'broken and exhausted' as resignation catches potential heirs off guard

BRAVE FACE: On a clearly bruising day, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar fulfilled a promise to the Irish Cancer Society when he joined Traolach, 5, and Conán, 2, to launch Daffodil Day 2024 which takes place on Friday. See Cancer.ie/DaffodilDay. Picture: Nick Bradshaw/PA Wire

Leo Varadkar appeared "broken", "tired" and "exhausted", party colleagues said in the wake of his shock departure.

Many TDs and senators said they had only heard of the Taoiseach's resignation in the minutes beforehand, while one public representative said they had been told by a Leinster House staff member.

The sudden nature of the Taoiseach's departure meant that potential replacements were somewhat caught off guard.

Many expect Simon Harris 'coronation'

Within the party on Wednesday evening, there was a growing sense that Simon Harris's election will be a "coronation", though many had expressed a belief that Social Protection Minister Heather Humphreys would be a strong consensus candidate. 

On Wednesday night, Ms Humphreys declined to answer questions on her intentions. However, one senior source said that it was Mr Harris's "race to lose".

It is understood that Public Expenditure Minister Paschal Donohoe has not decided whether to run or not, but will make a decision in the next day or two. Party sources said that junior finance minister Jennifer Carroll McNeill could also throw her hat in the ring.

FG parliamentary party pay tribute

At the Fine Gael parliamentary party meeting on Wednesday, TDs and senators paid tribute to Mr Varadkar's "integrity and loyalty", though some questioned the timing of the decision. 

Outgoing Louth TD, Fergus O’Dowd, said that a contest between multiple Fine Gael TDs would be a good thing and would “rejuvenate the party”. He said: 

Personally, I think it’s better if we see a contest. It will concentrate people’s minds. 

Many Fine Gael sources said that a contest would be their preference, with one TD saying it would allow the party build up to its ard fheis on April 6 when the new leader will give a televised speech.

Senator Regina Doherty told RTÉ radio that the timing was "very unusual", coming so close to June's European and local elections. 

She said that the "why" of Mr Varadkar's decision was important and that Fine Gael members had been told "very little", but that she hoped that everything with Mr Varadkar was "ok on a personal level".

Ms Doherty, the party's candidate for the Dublin constituency in the European elections, said that the "timing isn't great".

One Fine Gael TD described the situation as a “disaster” and that they couldn’t understand why Mr Varadkar decided to stand down now. 

However, the source did admit that there had been some “unhappy campers” within the party over its leadership.