Leo Varadkar is quitting politics for good (Image: Getty)
Leo Varadkar, Ireland’s former Taoiseach who last week announced he was quitting politics completely, has paid a heavy price for his unswerving devotion to the European Union and consequent Brexit hostility, a former diplomat has said.
Ray Bassett believes the former Taoiseach’s attempt to punish Britain for voting to quit the bloc “poisoned” relations with the ruling Conservative Party, making then-PM Theresa May’s job impossible.
And the 45-year-old’s failure to anticipate a subsequent thaw in relations between London and the EU meant he went from being the “toast of Brussels” to “going out of fashion” in the space of a few short years, added Mr Bassett, a former Irish ambassador to Canada, Jamaica and the Bahamas.
Fine Gael leader Mr Varadkar became Ireland’s youngest leader in 2017 at the age of just 38, less than a year after the Brexit referendum - and the qualified doctor became a familiar figure during the years of bitter wrangling which followed.
Making way for coalition partner and Fianna Fail leader Micheal Martin in 2020, Mr Varadkar did return to the top job two years later - but resigned after voters overwhelming rejected planned changes to Ireland’s constitution in a referendum earlier this year. On July 16, he confirmed he will not be standing as a candidate at the next general election.
READ MORE: Leo Varadkar's political career ended not in triumph but with a whimper
Leo Varadkar and then-European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker in Brussels (Image: Getty)
Mr Bassett, in an op-ed exclusively written for Express.co.uk, said it would be a mistake to underestimate the significance of Brexit in the context of Mr Varadkar’s career.
He explained: “Varadkar threw himself into the battle against Brexit. He had always proclaimed himself an ardent euro-federalist and was bitterly opposed to Brexit.
“He worked with EU officials such as Michel Barnier to use the Irish border issue to put London on the back foot and hopefully to reverse the outcome of the referendum. He never seemed to accept that democratic vote.”
As Taoiseach, one of the first things Mr Varadkar did was shut down discussions between British and Irish officials aimed at minimising the difficulties of keeping an open border on the island of Ireland, Mr Bassett pointed out.
Simon Harris replaced Leo Varadkar as Taoiseach earlier this year (Image: Getty)
He continued: “His predecessor in that Office, Enda Kenny, had quietly encouraged the two customs authorities to work together to find a practical solution.
“Varadkar saw the Irish border as an opportunity to make the UK’s exit from the EU as difficult as possible. His main purpose seemed to be to win plaudits in Brussels.
“This was never in Ireland’s interest, given the very close relations between Ireland and Britain. Instead of working with London to secure the best deal for Britain on its departure, he seemed hell-bent on using the Irish border as a weapon against London.
“Varadkar’s name became poisonous within British Tory circles and Dublin/London relations plummeted as Varadkar insisted on the infamous backstop which helped destroy the Prime Ministership of Theresa May.”
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Leo Varadkar ultimately cost Theresa May her job, Ray Bassett suggested (Image: Getty)
For a while Mr Varadkar had been “the toast of Brussels”, Mr Bassett suggested.
However, he added: “Times changed and as London and Brussels began to draw closer with the war in Ukraine on Europe’s doorstep. Also, the tide of euro federalism began to go out on the continent as election after election in the various countries rejected those seeking a single European State.
“Brexit had not ushered in the great leap forward in the European project but rather growing resistance to the ending of national sovereignty. Varadkar’s pals, Juncker, Barnier, Verhofstadt, etc were suddenly yesterday’s men. He was now going out of fashion even in Brussels.”
Back in Ireland, Mr Varadkar had given the impression of being “bored” with domestic issues and “increasingly detached”, with his increasing unpopularity in the opinion polls meaning it was just a matter of time before members of his own party began agitating against him.
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Leo Varadkar will stand down at the next general election (Image: Getty)
Mr Bassett said: “His final misjudgment was to champion a referendum to change the definition of the family to include special protections for all those in the ill-defined category of “durable relations”.
“In a genuflection to the woke brigade, he also proposed the elimination of the term woman from the Irish Constitution.
“Unsurprisingly, the proposals were soundly thrashed by a suspicious electorate. I felt at that time, Varadkar had to seriously consider his position. He clearly did and shortly afterwards resigned as Taoiseach.”
Speaking last week, Mr Varadkar, who has been replaced by Simon Harris, said: "I have never seen myself as a career politician and I am keen to see how I can make my contribution to society in other ways.
"I shall, of course, complete my term in the Dail and will continue to be a full-time TD until it is dissolved.
"I am making this decision at a time when the Fine Gael party is in good shape”.
