TAOISEACH Leo Varadkar had to pull out of a planned canvass in Dublin due to illness.

Mr Varadkar was due to take part in a walk-about with Dublin North-West candidate Noel Rock in Santry's Omni Park Shopping Centre but it was cancelled at short notice.

A Fine Gael statement this morning said it was cancelled "due to unforeseen circumstances".

The Taoiseach did attend the launch of Fine Gael's online safety proposals in Castleknock but appeared unwell to observers.

Independent.ie understands that a planned interview with Newstalk's Ivan Yates this evening was also cancelled.

However, Mr Varadkar has now agreed to appear on the programme at 6pm.

A spokesperson for Mr Varadkar said: “The Taoiseach had a stomach bug overnight, but he’s feeling a lot better now.”

Online Editors