Simon Harris is set to become the next prime minister of Ireland - following the shock resignation of Leo Varadkar. Mr Harris, Ireland's further education minister, was the only candidate to put his name forward in the Fine Gael leadership contest. The party confirmed he would take over as leader on Sunday. 'Simon Harris is ideally placed to lead this party forward and everybody in this room should get 100% behind him,' minister Simon Coveney said at the announcement.
The 45-year-old said his reasons for stepping down were 'both personal and political'. Who is Simon Harris? Hailing from Greystones in County Wicklow - a scenic seaside commuter town south of Dublin - Fine Gael's Mr Harris was elected to Wicklow County Council in 2009 with the highest percentage vote of any councillor. Just two years later, he won election to the Dail, taking the third seat in the Wicklow constituency. He was 25, and the youngest member of the parliament.