Simon Harris confirmed leader of Ireland’s Fine Gael party, set to be country’s youngest premier
- Harris, 37 - currently further and higher education minister - will be formally elected as Ireland’s premier, or taoiseach, in April
- In a surprise announcement last week, Premier Leo Varadkar said he would step down as Fine Gael leader and would resign as taoiseach
Simon Harris has been confirmed as the new leader of Ireland’s governing Fine Gael party, paving the way for him to become the country’s youngest-ever premier.
The announcement was made in the town of Athlone by the chairman of the party’s executive council, Willie Geraghty, on Sunday after nominations closed and no other candidates put their names forward for the leadership.
Harris, 37, currently the further and higher education minister, will be formally elected as Ireland’s premier – or “taoiseach” – in April following the Easter recess.
It follows the shock announcement by Leo Varadkar that he would be stepping down as Fine Gael leader and would resign as taoiseach as soon as his successor was selected.
Ireland’s Leo Varadkar unexpectedly quits as PM
Harris announced his candidature on Thursday night following a series of endorsements from within the Fine Gael parliamentary party and after a number of senior colleagues said they did not intend to stand for the leadership.
He has previously said he remains fully committed to the programme for government agreed with coalition partners Fianna Fail and the Green Party.
Outgoing Fine Gael leader and Taoiseach Varadkar surprised many within the political establishment by announcing his resignation on Wednesday.
He said he was resigning for “personal and political reasons” and was “not the best person for the job any more”.
