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17th May 2017
05:00pm BST
Enda Kenny has just announced that he will step down as leader of Fine Gael at midnight tonight.
His resignation comes after months of speculation about his leadership and was confirmed during a meeting at Leinster House this evening.
He has since released this statement on Twitter.
— Enda Kenny (@EndaKennyTD) May 17, 2017
Kenny, who has led the Fine Gael party for the last 15 years, has allowed a "brief period" to find his successor, with an election planned for June 2nd.
Kenny has been Taoiseach for the last six years and became the longest serving Fine Gael Taoiseach in April 2017.
It's not clear yet who will succeed him as Taoiseach, but Leo Varadkar and Simon Coveney have emerged as frontrunners in the race.
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