Former Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has said he went ‘too far’ with his comments on urban versus rural Ireland.
Mr Varadkar faced heavy criticism, including from members of his former party, over his claims that urban Ireland subsidises rural areas.
The ex-Fine Gael leader has apologised for the remarks and said that he ‘did not mean to annoy anyone’.
Speaking on the Path to Power podcast Mr Varadkar said rural Ireland were ‘very quick’ to claim they are the ‘real workers’ and are ‘paying the country’s bills’.
He added: ‘I think we maybe need to be a little bit more blunt in urban Ireland and say, “Actually, that is not the case”.
‘We’re the ones paying all the bills. You’re the ones in receipt of a lot of subsidies and a lot of tax benefits that other people don’t get.’
Mr Varadkar told the Irish Independent yesterday he stands over his remarks, but believed he overstated his opinion and should not have commented on ongoing political issues.
He added: ‘I apologise to anyone I offended. I genuinely did not mean to annoy anyone.’
His earlier remarks sparked harsh criticism from members of the Opposition and FG ministers this week. It was the first time remarks by Mr Varadkar have caused controversy since he quit two years ago.
The comments were made in the context of a supports package being agreed for specific sectors after fuel protests earlier this month. Government sources questioned the rationale behind his statements, and his position as a guest host of a current affairs podcast.
Sinn Féin attempted to use the comments as an example of Fine Gael’s view of rural voters. Tánaiste Simon Harris, who replaced Mr Varadkar after he resigned, quickly sought to distance himself and his party from the remarks on Monday.
He said he ‘never believed in dividing’ the Irish population into urban and rural camps, and wants to ‘pull together at this time of challenge’.
‘We want to create a country in which everybody who works hard can get ahead and not just get by. Those people exist in rural Ireland. They exist in urban Ireland. Those people are farmers. Those people are non-farmers.’
Leo Varadkar slammed for ‘shameful’ remarks over farmer subsidies
