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Leo Varadkar's response to the fake Facebook profile revelations is perfect

“I think our cover’s blown…”

Nov 3rd 2014, 2:00 PM 44,104 Views 62 Comments

Jaysus Eric, I think our cover's blown...
— Leo Varadkar (@LeoVaradkar) November 3, 2014

Source: Leo Varadkar/Twitter

MEET ERIC HOWELL, the one-time alter-ego of Health Minister Leo Varadkar.

Yesterday, it was revealed by the Sunday Times that Varadkar – who has a personal Facebook account – had a second account under the name ‘Eric Howell’.

The name appears to derive from the 35-year-old minister’s second name and a family surname on his mother’s side, and the activities that Howell was up to were 100% Leo Varadkar.

The account is now deleted, but when TheJournal.ie saw it, Howell had been tagged on a number of trips alongside the ‘real’ Leo. He had 39 friends, including, well, himself.

But the Howell account said that it was a “politics-free zone”, perhaps in a nod to Varadkar wanting some social media time away from his high-profile job.

After the revelations, the account was deleted, but the Minister took the high road when it came to his response.”Jaysus Eric, I think our cover’s blown,” he tweeted today.

Read: Leo Varadkar gets offered €250,000 “every couple of months” to go to Canada>

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Aoife Barry

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aoife@thejournal.ie

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Leo Varadkar's response to the fake Facebook profile revelations is perfect

“I think our cover’s blown…”