TAOISEACH LEO VARADKAR has said that he will not change his routine despite a warning from the Garda Commissioner that there is a heightened threat to his personal safety.
His comments come after a string of incidents involving government and opposition TDs in the last couple of years, with protesters now frequently targetting politicians’ homes.
In 2022, Garda Commissioner Drew Harris recommended that garda drivers be reinstated to all senior cabinet members following increased security concerns.
Since then, gardaí also recommended that the three super-junior ministers who attend cabinet meeting should also get garda protection after a death threat letter was received by Fianna Fáil minister of state Jack Chambers.
Despite increased concerns about his safety and the safety of other cabinet members, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has said he thinks it is important to continue his life as usual.
“To be honest, I’ve kind of refused to change my life,” the Taoiseach told reporters at a roundtable interview in Dublin.
“And, you know, I have been advised by the Garda Commissioner that the threat is higher, and the risk to my personal safety is real. And that is the case for other ministers too.
But I haven’t changed the way I live my life, nor will I.
“First of all, I’m not going to give into it and, secondly, you know, I see how other countries operate where politicians, ministers, prime ministers live in a security bubble and….really forget what it’s like just to do normal things and live a normal life.
“And I don’t want to stop doing that, just for my own personal sense of being who I am.
“But, secondly, I don’t think it’d be a good thing for the country,” Varadkar said.
“So I’ll keep on going to the cinema. I’ll keep on going to restaurants and bars, I’ll keep going to the gym and I’m not willing to have that changed,” he added.
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