Politicians have a responsibility not to encourage toxicity in public debate, Leo Varadkar has said in his final speech before the selection of a new Irish premier.Mr Varadkar, who formally resigned as Taoiseach on Monday, was speaking in the Dail parliament before a vote to select a new leader of the Government.Simon Harris, who succeeded Mr Varadkar as leader of the Fine Gael party following his shock resignation, is expected to be selected as the new Taoiseach.Mr Varadkar said it had been a "

Politicians have a responsibility not to encourage toxicity in public debate, Leo Varadkar has said in his final speech before the selection of a new Irish premier.Mr Varadkar, who formally resigned as Taoiseach on Monday, was speaking in the Dail parliament before a vote to select a new leader of the Government.Simon Harris, who succeeded Mr Varadkar as leader of the Fine Gael party following his shock resignation, is expected to be selected as the new Taoiseach.Mr Varadkar said it had been a "privilege" to serve as a public representative for 20 years.He was Taoiseach between 2017 and 2020 as well as from 2022 to Monday. In the intervening period, he served as Tanaiste - or deputy premier - in Ireland's current coalition Government.He spent 13 years in Cabinet and seven years as leader of Fine Gael."It has been the most fulfilling and rewarding time of my life," he said."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