Alison O'Connor: Questions hang over Leo’s head on his suitability for taoiseach role

The Tánaiste managed to survive the experience of apologising in the Dáil in November 2020 for “errors of judgement”, but as long as the Garda investigation continues unresolved, doubts over whether he can slide back behind the taoiseach’s desk next December will persist.

'I know these allegations are not true, the suggestion that I have done anything criminal or corrupt or self-interested is totally wrong,' Tánaiste Leo Varadkar said recently. Picture: Damien Storan.

How long before politicians begin to think wistfully of the days when a pandemic could utterly overshadow even the most uncomfortable of political issues? Pretty quickly, in the case of Tánaiste Leo Varadkar, who is now facing repeated questions about a Garda investigation that hangs over his head.

The Fine Gael leader is the subject of a Garda probe into the leaking of a confidential document. The investigation now crops up with a regularity during interviews with Mr Varadkar that must be alarming party colleagues. So far, the Tánaiste has avoided answering the question as to whether or not an ongoing investigation would preclude him from sliding back behind the taoiseach’s desk next December, as agreed in the programme for government.