Irish Examiner view: IMO issue continues to haunt Varadkar

Sipo decided not to conduct a preliminary inquiry into whether Mr Varadkar leaked details of a Government contract, but he is still fielding questions about it three years on

Leo Varadkar emphasised his belief that he has the support of his party — a clarification not always needed by those truly confident of their colleagues’ backing. Picture: Damien Storan/PA

The Tánaiste has had a slight unsteadiness in his countdown to moving back into the Taoiseach’s office.Leo Varadkar has addressed the findings of the Standards in Public Office Commission (Sipo) into whether he leaked details of a Government contract, while he has also been asked about a video clip of him socialising in a nightclub — a clip which was circulated widely on social media, causing much discussion.

Varadkar rightly pointed out that the latter issue was a private issue, adding that he did not intend to comment on it. For all that the clip generated a huge amount of debate online — and in the real world — the Sipo issue is far more substantive.