One of Ireland’s most high-profile members of government, Enterprise Minister Simon Coveney, announced on Tuesday that he would resign from the government pending the election of a new national leader.
Coveney, 51, enjoyed high profile internationally as Ireland’s foreign minister from 2017 to 2022 during the turmoil caused by Brexit. Brexit has had a huge impact on Ireland, an EU member state that borders Northern Ireland, the United Kingdom.
Coveney will serve as Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment from December 2022.
Prime Minister Leo Varadkar resigned as leader of the centre-right Fine Gael party, part of Ireland’s coalition government, last month for “personal and political” reasons.
His successor, 37-year-old Simon Harris, will be confirmed by the Irish parliament next week as Ireland’s youngest prime minister, or Taoiseach.
Coveney, a member of Fine Gael, said on social network X that he had told Harris “I will not be serving in the cabinet when Parliament resumes next week.”
Coveney told Irish broadcaster RTE that resigning would make it easier for Harris to “promote new talent within the party”.
He said he planned to remain in parliament as a legislator for Cork South Central.
