Leo Varadkar on Trump, Starmer and the death of liberalism

The News Agents

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Friday, 26 September 2025 - 51 minutes

In many ways, Leo Varadkar was a historic Taoiseach. The youngest Irish PM, the first from an ethnic minority, and the first openly gay head of government.

His time at the top of Irish politics was also historic - he grappled with Trump's first term, the Brexit years, and the Covid pandemic.

At just 44 years of age, he walked away from politics. But he is still fascinated - even obsessed - by the political arena.

He's written a memoir, 'Speaking My Mind', about his rise to power and his time at the seat of government.

He came into The News Agents studio to speak to Lewis about the populist surge and where Starmer is failing in his efforts to curb it here, what it's like dealing with Donald Trump up close and personal, and why he found Boris Johnson easier to deal with than Theresa May - even though he couldn't trust him.

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