Who is Leo Varadkar?
He was the Taoiseach, Ireland’s equivalent of the UK’s Prime Minister, in 2017-20. He is the leader of Fine Gael, one of the major political parties in Ireland. His summit with Boris Johnson on the Wirral in October 2019 was critical in paving the way to the renegotiated Withdrawal Agreement.
Following the formation of the new coalition government in Ireland, Varadkar stood down as Taoiseach to become deputy prime minister (Tanaiste). Under the coalition agreement he will become Taoiseach again midway through the term after current Taoiseach Micheál Martin resigns on 15 December 2022.