Simon Harris front runner to be Ireland’s new leader
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- March 21, 2024
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PA MediaOne day on from Leo Varadkar’s resignation as taoiseach, it looks likely that Simon Harris could get a clear run to be Ireland’s next leader.
Mr Harris, 37, is currently the minister for further and higher education.
Three other ministers who were viewed as potential competitors have ruled themselves out of the top job.
Helen McEntee, Heather Humphreys and Paschal Donohoe have confirmed they will not contend the Fine Gael party’s leadership race.
Ms McEntee and Ms Humphreys have publicly said they will support Mr Harris in his bid to become leader.
Nominations for a new leader opened at 10:00 local time on Thursday and will close on Monday at 13:00.
If there is to be a contest the winner will be announced on 5 April.
Mr Varadkar pledged his unequivocal support to his successor during a Fine Gael parliamentary party meeting on Wednesday night.
He said he would remain as a TD (member of parliament) but hoped his replacement at the top of the Irish government would take up office shortly after Easter.
PA MediaMr Harris was the early favourite with many bookmakers.
He had garnered a healthy roster of backers before nominations even opened.
Fine Gael Minister of State Neale Richmond told RTÉ’s Morning Ireland programme that he would “absolutely be backing” Mr Harris.
He called him “the best person for the job”.
It would mean the Republic of Ireland would have another young leader, following Mr Varadkar who was appointed taoiseach aged 38.
Mr Harris was the youngest member of the 31st Dáil at the age of 24 and became health minister in 2016.
There he led the department during a change in Ireland’s abortion law and at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic as emergency lockdown measures were introduced.
Analysis
He was the boy wonder who dropped out of college to become a TD – he now stands a real chance of becoming taoiseach.
Wicklow’s Simon Harris says he was inspired by former Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny to get involved in politics.
Harris was distressed by the lack of services for his younger autistic brother when Kenny told him that joining politics was the only way to make real change.
A go-getter, he went for it.
He went on to nominate Mr Kenny for taoiseach at the age of 24 in his maiden speech in 2011.
The one-time baby of the house has had a meteoric rise.
His career highpoint was overseeing the Repeal the Eighth referendum and subsequent abortion legislation as minister for health.
He grew in popularity during his tenure during the first half of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Post 2020, some suspected his “demotion” to minister for higher education was due to how ambitious he had become and perhaps Mr Varadkar sensed a threat.
Mr Harris was one of the first Irish politicians to embrace TikTok with some now dubbing him the first “TikTok taoiseach”.
It is all to play for with nominations open till next week, but in this racing season, Mr Harris is an odds-on favourite.
Potential rivals stand aside
PA MediaPaschal Donohoe, the current minister for public expenditure, national development plan delivery and reform, had been seen as a potential rival.
The 49-year-old Dubliner is a former finance and transport minister.
He has also been president of the Eurogroup since 2020, and informal body which brings together ministers from the eurozone area to discuss currency issues.
Speaking on Thursday he said: “I have long said that my focus is on the two jobs that I am privileged to hold; that of government minister and as president of the Eurogroup.
“That remains to be the case. It is with a huge honour that I undertake my work on the domestic and international stage.”
Heather Humphreys ‘considered’ entering race
PA MediaHeather Humphreys had been viewed as a potential taoiseach and would have been be the first Protestant to hold the post.
She has served in various cabinet positions since 2014 and is currently the minister for rural and community development as well as minister for social protection.
Born in the village of Drum, County Monaghan, in 1963, Ms Humphreys was manager of a credit union before she entered politics.
She said she had given serious consideration to contending the leadership contest, but on Thursday she confirmed she would instead back Mr Harris.
“I just want to thank everybody who contacted me in the last 24 hours and have asked me to put my name forward and have offered me their support,” she told RTÉ.
‘Not the right time’ for Helen McEntee
PA Media Helen McEntee was also on the prospective list for taoiseach but confirmed on Thursday that she will not stand for the leadership of Fine Gael.
She told LMFM Radio on Thursday morning that it was “not the right time” for her.
Ms McEntee also said that she will not rule out running for the leadership role again in the future, and that she wanted to see a contest for the next leader.
The 37-year-old Navan native has been a TD since 2013 and is currently the justice minister.
She became a TD at the age of 26, succeeding her father after he took his own life.
Last year she survived a motion of no confidence following the Dublin riots in November, while there has also been a heated debate about hate speech legislation.
Writing on X, formerly known as Twitter on Thursday, she confirmed she was supporting Mr Harris for leader.
“A great colleague, a great communicator, I know he will bring huge energy to this important role,” she wrote.
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