Varadkar won’t seek re-election in Dublin West

Former Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has announced he will not be running in the next general election.

Varadkar has served as a TD for Dublin West since 2007 and served as Taoiseach between 2017 and 2020 as well as a stint between December 2022 and April 2024.

Varadkar informed a branch meeting of his decision to not seek re-election.

“I have been an elected representative for more than 20 years and have been elected on five occasions, first to represent the Castleknock/Blanchardstown area on Fingal County Council and subsequently to represent Dublin West in Dáil Éireann in four consecutive elections. It has been the privilege of my life and I am so grateful to have had the chance to serve my community and my country as a councillor and a TD.”

“I have decided that the time has come for me to explore new options and opportunities. 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 Dáil 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. “

He said he was announcing his decision to not seek re-election in July so the local Fine Gael branch was free of distraction when it picks candidates in mid-September.

Dublin West will be a 5-seater at the next general election, which could serve as motivation for Fine Gael to run two candidates as they did in the constituency in 2020.

Then-Taoiseach Varadkar finished behind Sinn Féin TD Paul Donnelly who topped the poll and was elected on the first count, with running mate Emer Currie securing 4.3% of first preferences.

Other Dublin West TDs include freshly-minted Minister for Finance Jack Chambers of Fianna Fáil and newly-elected leader of the Green Party Roderic O’Gorman.

Varadkar said that the party is in “good shape” in the constituency, off the back of strong local election results in the area.

Castleknock, where Varadkar served as a councillor between 2003 and 2007, saw Fine Gael’s candidates Ted Leddy and Siobhain Shovlin elected with 15.2% and 13.4% of first preferences respectively.

Cabra-Glasnevin, which falls in Dublin West at a Dáil level, saw Fine Gael get their two candidates Colm O’Rourke and Gayle Ralph elected with 9.3% and 9.1% of first preferences in a highly competitive 7-seater.

Varadkar told the meeting “I believe every retiring TD has a responsibility to do all they can to ensure their seat is held by the party and with this in mind, Senator Emer Currie and I are coming together to provide an enhanced constituency service and a new constituency office in Main Street Blanchardstown which will open in the next few weeks.”

Reflecting on his time as an elected rep, Varadkar noted that Dublin West’s population has almost doubled, TUD has opened a campus in Blanchardstown, millions of euros have been invested into new parks like St Catherine’s Park and the Royal Canal Greenway, but he said his “most significant regret” was the “slow progress” of the DART West project

“However, with the electric carriages on order and planning permission for the project expected within weeks, I believe we are past the point of no return when it comes to delivering this vital public transport project for the people of Dublin 15 and Dublin 7.,” he noted.

He said that whoever succeeds him as a TD will inherit “many challenges” such as deficient services for children with special needs to the need for more gardaí.

“There will always be challenges and I will continue to work on them until such time as I can hand over to my successor.”