Irish Deputy PM Admits Leaking Confidential Document

Leo Varadkar, the Irish Deputy PM admitted sharing a confidential document in 2019. (Wikimedia Commons)

Irish Deputy Prime Minister Leo Varadkar admitted to providing a confidential document to a personal acquaintance in 2019. In a speech to the Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Irish parliament, Varadkar “apologize[d] for the controversy and the annoyance” that he had caused, though he denied legal wrongdoing. 

Last month, Village magazine published an article accusing Varadkar of giving Dr. Maitiú Ó Tuathail, the president of the National Association of General Practitioners (NAGP), a document concerning the government’s negotiations with another practitioner’s union. The article includes screenshots of text messages in which NAGP officials discuss the leaked correspondences as well as communiques between Varadkar and Ó Tuathail. Representatives for Varadkar dispute some of the article’s allegations, as one spokesperson claimed that “many of these encounters simply did not happen. The magazine has its facts wrong again.” Varadkar insisted that he only wanted to loop NAGP doctors into contract negotiations and denied trying to benefit a friend.

The fallout from the leaks has drawn predictable reactions from Varadkar’s colleagues. Leaders of the governing coalition, including Fianna Fáil, Varadkar’s Fine Gael, and the Green Party, have condemned the incident but consider the matter settled. Sinn Fein, the largest opposition party, has initiated a vote of no confidence against Varadkar, setting off a procedural conflict within the government. In order to vote on the motion, the Dáil would have to adjourn and move to a larger venue in order to accommodate all 160 members with adequate social distancing practices in force. If passed, the measure would remove Varadkar from office. 

The scandal has further inflamed an already tense political climate in Ireland during a very turbulent period. As with the rest of Europe, Ireland has seen a rapid increase in coronavirus cases. Moreover, Irish lawmakers have had to contend with the looming Northern Ireland border issue that will follow the UK’s withdrawal from the EU. To top it off, the upcoming vote of no confidence risks the need to call national elections in the midst of a pandemic, until which time vital legislation would grind to a halt even as multiple crises mount.