LEO VARADKAR IS the new leader of Fine Gael.

The Dublin TD was elected today after a long battle with colleague Simon Coveney. Although he lost the vote of the grassroots members comprehensively, Varadkar won significant support from local councillors and the parliamentary party.

The final count, including all three electoral colleges, saw him win with 60% to Coveney’s 40%. The electoral college breakdown was as follows:

Parliamentary party: 70:30

Local public representatives: 55:45

Membership: 65:35

He is being reported across the world as Ireland’s next prime minister – with most outlets describing him as gay man and son of an immigrant.

We followed the action all day (see below). And, here’s some more reading for you tonight, if you fancy:

We’ll be back in the morning with more analysis and coverage from our political team.

Goodnight!