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.

While Sipo declined to proceed with an inquiry in the matter of a Government contract with the Irish Medical Organisation being leaked, the Tánaiste is still fielding questions on the matter.

Reports have emerged suggesting there were disagreements within the public standards body on making that decision, with Comptroller and Auditor General Seamus McCarthy among those voicing their dissent.

This is significant for someone about to take up the mantle of Taoiseach; the Comptroller and Auditor General’s standing as one of the most powerful civil servants in the State lends considerable weight to any misgivings he may have on such a sensitive topic.

The Tánaiste was at pains to point out in recent days that “everyone makes errors in judgement. You wouldn’t be a human being if you didn’t".

He went on to point to his record on the pandemic and Brexit for proof of an innate ability to make the right decisions when they count most.

Yet the matter Sipo ruled on occurred three years ago and still dogs the Tánaiste’s footsteps even now. The immediate view may be that it gives the opposition in the Dáil a stick to beat him with the first day he takes questions in the house, but it also has the potential to cause unrest within Fine Gael, his own party.

In those recent remarks, he stressed his belief that he has the support of his party, a clarification not always needed by those truly confident of their colleagues’ backing.

This article was edited to reflect that Sipo decided not to pursue a preliminary inquiry against Mr Varadkar in the matter of the IMO contract leak.