Simon Harris on Tuesday became Ireland’s youngest ever prime minister, promising to bring new ideas and energy in the less than 12 months he has to back the coalition government’s attempt to thwart Sinn Féin’s left-wing party’s first election victory.
The proceedings of Ireland’s lower house of parliament began shortly after 10.30 a.m. with a speech from Leo Varadkar. He said working in government had been “the most fulfilling and rewarding time” of his life. He added:
But today is the beginning of a new era for my party, a new chapter in my life and a new phase for this coalition government.
Simon Harris, the 37-year-old former health and higher education minister best known for helping lead the initial response to COVID-19, was elected unopposed as Fine Gael leader last month, virtually assured of succeeding Leo Varadkar.
Harris will face the same deep-rooted problems, most notably a severe shortage of affordable housing and worries about record numbers of asylum seekers, that led to Fine Gael’s stagnation under Varadkar, and will inherit a coalition agreement that leaves little room for major new policy initiatives.
On Tuesday he is due to announce a reshuffle of his Fine Gael team, which holds seven of the 18 cabinet seats. It will not include the finance and foreign affairs portfolios held by Michael McGrath and Micheal Martin of Fianna Fail.
