Leo Varadkar to promote only two new ministers

Only two new ministers will be promoted by Leo Varadkar to his Cabinet after his expected election as taoiseach by the Dáil on Wednesday.

Sources close to the Fine Gael leader said yesterday that Mr Varadkar gave assurances to Ministers who supported his leadership candidacy they would not be demoted.

It is also certain that his rival for leadership Simon Coveney and his sole Cabinet supporter, Simon Harris, will be retained as senior Ministers.

The two vacancies – left by departing Taoiseach Enda Kenny and retiring Minister for Finance Michael Noonan – will be filled by Mr Varadkar’s campaign manager, Eoghan Murphy, and by Mayo TD Michael Ring, sources said.

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The only other opening, said the source, would be if a serving Minister was asked to take on the role of Government chief whip, with the current holder of the role, Regina Doherty, taking responsibility for a Department.

“That would not be a demotion as such as the whip would still retain a place at the Cabinet table,” said the source.

Concerns about Mr Varadkar being unable to command a majority when the Dáil votes on his nomination of taoiseach have eased after the Independent Alliance confirmed it will support him.

Final agreement

The group of Independent TDs met Mr Varadkar for two hours yesterday to reach a final agreement on a range of issues they had raised with him.

“The talks were open and positive and focused on how we can implement the Programme for Government more effectively. This will involve a review of legislation and seeing which issues can be prioritised,” said Mr Varadkar, who added that Brexit would be its major priority.

All of the alliance’s Ministers and Ministers of State will retain their current portfolios after Mr Varadkar announces his new Cabinet.

It is likely that most of the new appointments to ministerial rank will take place at junior level. The four Ministers of State who backed Mr Coveney – Damien English; Marcella Corcoran Kennedy; David Stanton; and Dara Murphy – are not expected to be reappointed.

Two Government sources last night said that there is no impediment to Mr Varadkar creating a fourth super-junior Minister’, with rights to sit at Cabinet. That Minister is expected to be drawn from his strongest supporters and will have specific responsibility for Brexit and EU Affairs.

There has also been speculation that Attorney General Máire Whelan may step down on Wednesday, to be replaced by an AG with strong Fine Gael links, but sources close to Mr Varadkar said the thinking on that had yet to be finalised.