Varadkar relieved to avoid Fine Gael leadership ‘showdown’

Fine Gael leadership contender Leo Varadkar has expressed relief that the Taoiseach has made clear when he will announce details of his departure.

On Thursday, the Minister for Social Protection said he feared there would be a showdown and he was pleased Enda Kenny had dealt with the issue effectively and concisely.

"He is going to take control of when he leaves, on his own timetable," he told RTÉ's Morning Ireland.

Mr Varadkar said he would have preferred if the Taoiseach had dealt with the issue last week as not doing so led to speculation.

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He said the leadership campaign cannot commence until the vacancy arises.

Mr Kenny told his parliamentary party on Wednesday night he would deal "conclusively" with the leadership issue when he returns from an upcoming visit to the United States after St Patrick's Day.

Mr Kenny’s remarks were accepted by Fine Gael TDs, some of whom had threatened a motion of no confidence in him, as a commitment to step aside in March, with a successor likely to be in place by the end of April at the latest.

“I have to say I’m really happy with how the meeting went,” said Mr Varadkar.

“The Taoiseach’s statement was very clear that he would address all of these issues after St Patrick’s Day and would deal with them conclusively and effectively and I think that was very important.”

He said going into the meeting, there was some concern “that we would be facing into a showdown, (with) people having to make speeches, having to say difficult things to each other and because of the way the Taoiseach handled the meeting that didn’t happen, so we didn’t go back to the ‘Fine Gael family at war’ that people would have known about in the past”.

He said: “I don’t think it could have gone better in that regard.”

The Taoiseach will take control of the situation and leave on his own terms, Mr Varadkar said. “As someone who brought Fine Gael back from the brink of extinction, as somebody who has turned this country around, he deserves that.”

He said: “Last week wasn’t good for the party, there was a lack of control, that’s why I made the statement that I did on Saturday calling on him asking him to settle this matter.”

“The Taoiseach has control of the situation now and that’s for the best.”