Summary of the day
The Dáil has confirmed Simon Harris’ nomination as Ireland’s new taoiseach, by a vote of 88 in favour and 69 opposed.
Ireland’s president, Michael D Higgins, then presented Harris with his seal of office.
At 37, Harris is Ireland’s youngest prime minister. His social media skills have prompted a nickname, the “TikTok taoiseach”.
In today’s vote, Harris received support from Fine Gael’s coalition partners.
Opposition parties, however, argued he is a product of a centre-right coalition government that has presided over a housing crisis and fraying public services and is scared of the electorate.
Speaking after the vote, Harris said he intends to lead the government in a spirit of unity. “I commit to doing everything that I can to honour the trust that you have placed in me today,” he said.
Harris also said “now is an opportune moment to build a new social contract” and underscored his commitment to work on housing challenges.
European leaders congratulated Harris. He is expected to travel to Brussels later this week.
Simon Harris has pledged to invigorate Ireland’s ruling coalition after being elected the country’s youngest taoiseach.
The Dáil voted 88 to 69 on Tuesday to anoint Harris, 37, as successor to Leo Varadkar, who unexpectedly announced his resignation last month.
“I commit to doing everything that I can to honour the trust that you have placed in me today,” Harris told the chamber. “I accept this new role in a spirit of humility, ready for the challenge, and full of energy and determination about what can be achieved. As taoiseach I want to bring new ideas, a new energy, and a new empathy to public life.”
Harris went to the official residence of President Michael D Higgins to receive the seal of office before returning to Leinster House to appoint ministers is a minor cabinet reshuffle.
It marked a low-key end of the Varadkar era and the start of an unofficial countdown to a general election that must be held by March 2025 - a tight timetable for Harris to deliver on big promises such as fixing a housing crisis.
“Now is an opportune time to build a new social contract - one which renews our promise as a republic,” he told the Dail. “To create equality of opportunity. To support those who need the state the most. To protect our hard-earned economic success. To use its benefits to deliver tangible outcomes to society.”
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Ursula von der Leyen, the European Commission president, has congratulated Simon Harris, saying she looks forward to meet him when he visits Brussels later this week.
My warmest congratulations to @SimonHarrisTD on being elected Taoiseach of Ireland today.
— Ursula von der Leyen (@vonderleyen) April 9, 2024
We will work hand in hand to deliver for the people of Ireland, and for Europe as a whole.
Looking forward to meeting you in Brussels on Thursday.
Irish president presents seal of office to Simon Harris
Ireland’s president, Michael D Higgins, has appointed Simon Harris as taoiseach, after his nomination was confirmed by the Dáil.
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Simon Harris has pledged to “be a Taoiseach for All.”
I am deeply honoured to become Taoiseach of this great country today.
— Simon Harris TD (@SimonHarrisTD) April 9, 2024
I will be a Taoiseach for All, a Taoiseach that will work every day to realise the hopes, dreams and aspirations of all our people.
To read my full speech: https://t.co/iZs3RDlQ0M https://t.co/4kmgxJR6kj
The centre-right European People’s party, of which Fine Gael is a member, has congratulated Simon Harris.
Congratulations to @SimonHarrisTD on his election as Taoiseach. His commitment to @FineGael, his political experience and his resolve will stand to him as he works to improve the lives of Irish citizens and tackle the issues Ireland faces, such as housing and climate change. pic.twitter.com/vf99bWgpA5
— EPP (@EPP) April 9, 2024
Simon Harris is on his way to see Ireland’s president, who will appoint him as taoiseach.
Simon Harris en route to the Áras to receive his seal of office @rtenews pic.twitter.com/tkIjmuHPt9
— Sandra Hurley (@sandra_hurley) April 9, 2024
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Harris speaks of new social contract, promises to prioritise housing
In his speech after winning the nomination vote in the Dáil, Simon Harris said that “now is an opportune moment to build a new social contract: one which renews our promise as a republic, to create equality of opportunity, to support those who need the state the most, to protect our hard-earned economic success, to use its benefits to deliver tangible outcomes to society.”
“Housing remains the greatest societal and economic challenge of our generation. Today I re-commit to moving mountains to help build more homes and drive more home ownership,” he said.
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Sean Kelly, a member of the European parliament representing Fine Gael, told the Guardian today that “Leo can be proud of the work and service he has done for the country and he leaves a strong legacy behind him, most notably his handling of Brexit.”
“Now we are coming into European and local elections and Simon Harris has injected a new energy into the party,” he said.
Kelly added:
Simon has all the qualities to be an excellent Taoiseach and Party Leader and I think he will live up his enormous potential. He has held several senior Cabinet positions, so he has the experience, and also the youth and energy to connect with the electorate.
Harris pledges to lead Irish government in spirit of unity
Speaking after the vote, Simon Harris said he intends to lead the government in a spirit of collaboration.
“I commit to doing everything that I can to honour the trust that you have placed in me today,” he said.
He thanked his party, partners in government and the independents who supported his nomination.
“This is very much a partnership government, and I intend to lead it in the spirit of unity, collaboration and mutual respect, he said.
Harris also paid tribute to his predecessor, Leo Varadkar.
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Dáil confirms Simon Harris as new taoiseach
The Dáil has confirmed Simon Harris’ nomination as Ireland’s new taoiseach, by a vote of 88 in favour and 69 opposed.
Next, he will be formally appointed by Ireland’s president.
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The vote on Simon Harris’ nomination has now started.
Opposition parties are throwing (metaphorical) vinegar onto the anointment of Simon Harris as Ireland’s new taoiseach, saying he is a product of a centre-right coalition government that has presided over a housing crisis and fraying public services and is scared of the electorate.
“For the third time you rearrange the cabinet deck chairs, for the third time in four years, you pat each other on the back and tell the people what a great job you’re doing,” said Sinn Féin’s Mary Lou McDonald. “The narrative we hear today from government is a fairy tale so outrageous that Hans Christian Andersen himself would be proud of it.”
Richard Boyd Barrett of People Before Profit noted that a third of legislators from Harris’s Fine Gael party are jumping ship and will not contest the election, which is due by March. “Because they know they have failed hundreds of thousands of people in this country on the most basic things.”
Here are images from the Dáil today.
While Britain was pinballing from Brexit to Boris Johnson’s melodramas and Liz Truss’s would-be fiscal revolution Ireland, it turns out, was being prudent – too prudent.
“The majority of officials, advisory bodies and academic will always recommend caution, playing it safe, conservative with a small ‘c’. It’s not always the best advice,” Leo Varadkar, told the Dáil in his last speech as taoiseach.
Varadkar reckons his centre-right administration was too cautious after the Celtic Tiger bust and wishes it had splurged on infrastructure, notably housing – which could be a tacit nod to his successor, Simon Harris, to let rip before the election.
“Certainly, had we known the economy would recover so quickly after the crash, that it would not stagnate due to Brexit and it would bounce back so strongly after Covid, many of the investment decisions we made would have been made a year or two or three sooner,” said Varadkar.
“Policies that are now starting to show results, would have done so much earlier has we been a little more confident.”
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Sinn Fein’s Mary Lou McDonald is calling for a new election, and dismissing the proposed new taoiseach as more of the same. “We need a change of leadership,” she said.
Let's be clear: Today is NOT about what’s good for Ireland or good for our people. This is all about what’s good for Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil.
— Mary Lou McDonald (@MaryLouMcDonald) April 9, 2024
Today is proof positive that we need change like never before, we need a new direction, we need a General Election now! pic.twitter.com/zgT9omiVJr
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Fianna Fáil’s Micheál Martin said he had a lengthy, “constructive” discussion with Simon Harris and that his party will be backing his nomination.
He congratulated Harris and said he looks forward to constructive and effective cooperation ahead.
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In the Dáil, Fine Gael’s Heather Humphreys has proposed Simon Harris as the new taoiseach.
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In a speech on Saturday, Simon Harris, who is expected to be confirmed as Ireland’s new leader today, spoke about his background and plans for the future.
“My story began when my younger brother Adam was diagnosed with autism, and I began to campaign for better information and services. I quickly learned that very many families were feeling like ours: Alone. This was the formative experience of my life,” he said.
“I’m gonna hit the ground running,” he said, adding: “I will stand by our values as a party and our vision as a nation. A tolerant, inclusive, and outward-looking society, which is fair, caring and secure.”
“We have to fix housing for once and for all,” he stressed. “Under my leadership, Fine Gael will introduce a package to support businesses to make sure you thrive and prosper,” Harris noted.
He also said: “I want to say to farmers and to rural Ireland, Fine Gael will never talk down to you on climate action.”
‘Always in a hurry’: the rapid rise of Simon Harris, Ireland’s ‘TikTok taoiseach’
Ireland’s Dáil is expected today to confirm Simon Harris, 37, as successor to Leo Varadkar, who stunned the country last month when he announced his resignation as prime minister and leader of Fine Gael.
The higher education minister blitzed potential rivals to be coronated as the party’s new leader. Fine Gael’s coalition partners, Fianna Fáil and the Greens, back him to become taoiseach.
It will be the culmination of a precocious rise for a polished communicator who has rewritten the political rulebook in Ireland but is barely known in Belfast, London or Brussels.
The new taoiseach will face daunting challenges. A housing crisis and fraying public services dim the centre-right coalition’s hopes of winning an election due by next March. Farmers are chafing at environmental rules while climate activists lament missed targets. Post-Brexit relations with London are tetchy and Northern Ireland’s government is fragile. About a third of Fine Gael’s Dáil deputies are stepping down rather than face voters.
Yet Harris has reputedly yearned for this opportunity since he was a teenager. “He’s acutely and almost obsessionally ambitious,” said Shane Ross, a former Fine Gael and independent politician who served in cabinet with Harris and knew him as a newly elected legislator in 2011. “He was always in a hurry, even at that time. Very early on he declared his leadership ambitions.”
Read the full story here.
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Welcome to the blog
Good morning and welcome back to the Europe blog.
Today we will be looking at the latest in Ireland, where Simon Harris is expected today to be confirmed as the new taoiseach.
