Exodus of Varadkar loyalists leaves Fine Gael leader exposed

In the summer of 2020, Fine Gael TD John Paul Phelan experienced a serious health scare that, in part, has led to his decision to step out of national politics after the next election. The day after experiencing a heart attack, while he was in the coronary care unit in Waterford, the Carlow-Kilkenny TD got in touch with party leader Leo Varadkar.

He wondered if Varadkar’s partner Matt, a cardiologist, could look over his medical report. Phelan was subsequently left in no doubt as to the seriousness of the situation.

The interaction underscores how close Phelan and Varadkar were at the time.

And yet, in an interview with KCLR radio on Wednesday morning, Phelan also revealed that his decision to leave politics is “90 per cent about health”, briefly mentioning that he has been frustrated for other reasons for some time.

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When Varadkar received a phone call from Phelan at about 5pm on Tuesday evening, he can’t have been too surprised to hear that his one-time key strategist was exiting the political stage.

That’s because rumblings of unhappiness among the Taoiseach’s right-hand men have been steadily growing louder since the summer of 2020.

Phelan – who supported the Taoiseach for years and was a vitally important fixer in Varadkar’s leadership bid – is the latest in an increasingly long line of allies to abandon the ship they helped build.

Eoghan Murphy, the former Dublin Bay South TD, also helped Varadkar orchestrate his leadership campaign. He resigned his Dáil seat a year after the 2020 general election. Murphy was one of the few people during the leadership campaign who knew exactly who was and was not supporting Varadkar, and who managed personal relationships and the inevitable last-minute hiccups that happen in such a high-wire situation.

Former Wexford TD Michael D’Arcy was also a key operator. The former minister of state in the Department of Finance resigned his seat in September 2020 to become the chief executive of the Irish Association of Investment Managers.

In January of this year, Kerry TD Brendan Griffin also confirmed he would not be contesting the next election. While Griffin said he was bowing out to spend time with his young sons, it was well known that he was somewhat put out at not having his loyalty to Varadkar rewarded. Griffin was clearly disappointed to be overlooked for the job of Government chief whip following the rotation of taoiseach between Varadkar and Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin.

Then there is former minister for education Joe McHugh who announced in July of last year that he would not be running for election again for Fine Gael. McHugh also said he wanted to spend more time with his family.

Many of those who helped put Varadkar where he is today feel that their loyalty and dogged work have not been rewarded within the party. It is understood that Varadkar is building relationships among younger TDs and Senators in Fine Gael, but the reality is that his A-team have voted with their feet. The exodus of these supporters has, naturally, opened up a conversation about Varadkar’s standing both within the parliamentary party and the wider organisation. Although there is no hint that his position is in danger, the evacuation of Varadkar evangelists leaves him more exposed politically, and is the subject of much chatter within Leinster House.

As the phrase almost goes, to lose one major supporter may be regarded as a misfortune, but to lose five looks like carelessness.