Ireland to get its youngest ever premier as Simon Harris elected leader of Fine Gael party

LONDON (AP) — Ireland is poised to get its youngest-ever premier after Simon Harris secured the leadership of the Fine Gael party on Sunday, He replaces Leo Varadkar who announced his surprise resignation last week. The 37-year-old Harris is the government’s further and higher education minister. He was the only candidate to put his name forward to succeed Varadkar who had been Ireland’s previous youngest prime minister. Harris won a series of endorsements from within the Fine Gael parliamentary party and is expected to be formally elected premier in the Irish parliament in April after lawmakers return from their Easter break.