Irish Prime Minister Says He’s Stepping Down in Shock Resignation

Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar made an emotional speech Wednesday to announce he was stepping down, telling reporters outside government buildings in Dublin he was leaving office for “personal and political, but mainly political” reasons.

It’s a shock move by Varadkar, who just last week traveled to the U.S. and met with President Joe Biden during St. Patrick’s Day celebrations to discuss the humanitarian situation in Gaza. He’s Ireland’s first openly gay taoiseach and the youngest ever to hold the position, having been first elected in 2017, when he was 38.

Now 45, Varadkar said its time for him to leave public office. He conceded he didn’t have a “real reason” for the move but insinuated that the nastiness of politics had pushed him to a breaking point.

Read more at The Daily Beast.