PM’s husband launches own political career

A famous last name and a rock-solid constituency may earn Stephen Kinnock a seat in the British parliament

Michelle Obama might not have been the only one felt left out when Helle Thorning-Schmidt (S) was taking selfies with the world leaders.

The PM’s husband, Stephen Kinnock, has now decided to pursue his own political career as the Labour Party candidate in Aberavon in his birth place of Wales, aiming for a seat in the British House of Commons in the 2015 general election.

"I'm very interested in standing," he told The Times. "I've been a member of Labour since I was 15 years old, so politics is in my blood."

READ MORE: Thorning-Schmidt: "Selfie shows leaders are normal people"

Kinnock is currently an executive in the advisory firm Xynteo and said that his wife supports him taking up a different life on the campaign trail.

"Helle and I have lived like this for years and we've always found a way to make it work," he told The Times. "We naturally talked about my plans and she has been very supportive."

Might have good chance
Kinnock should have a good chance of getting elected, says Ole Helmersen, an expert in British politics at the Copenhagen Business School.

"He can be very, very sure of being elected," he told Politiken newspaper.

There are three reasons why Kinnock can feel so certain, according to Helmersen. Firstly, the Aberavon constituency where Kinnock is campaigning has long belonged to Labour. Secondly, Aberavon's current and popular MP, Hywel Francis, announced that he won't be running again.

Lastly, Kinnock is the son of politician Neil Kinnock, who was the head of Labour from 1983 to 1992, and leader of the opposition to the Margaret Thatcher-led government.

"The combination of a secure constituency and the last name 'Kinnock' is classic Labour," Helmersen said. "It will nearly take a miracle or a volcanic eruption to Aberavon to change political colour. That is probably also why Kinnock gets that area. Labour probably wanted to find a secure area for him, because he is a good name for the party."

READ MORE: PM's husband a closet film star

According to Politiken, Kinnock will prioritise the British media before discussing his career move with the Danish newspapers.

In the meantime, his luck may turn when the Brits find out about his tax evasion case, gay rumours and Russian acting career.

TOP STORIES

  • Chinese wind turbine companies sign pact to end race-to-the-bottom price war

    Chinese wind turbine companies sign pact to end race-to-the-bottom price war

    China’s 12 leading wind turbine makers have signed a pact to end a domestic price war that has seen turbines sold at below cost price in a race to corner the market and which has compromised quality and earnings in the sector.

  • Watch Novo Nordisk’s billion-kroner musical TV ad for Wegovy

    Watch Novo Nordisk’s billion-kroner musical TV ad for Wegovy

    Novo Nordisk’s TV commercial for the slimming drug Wegovy has been shown roughly 32,000 times and reached 8.8 billion US viewers since June.

  • Retention is the new attraction

    Retention is the new attraction

    Many people every year choose to move to Denmark and Denmark in turn spends a lot of money to attract and retain this international talent. Are they staying though? If they leave, do they go home or elsewhere? Looking at raw figures, we can see that Denmark is gradually becoming more international but not everyone is staying. 

  • Defence Minister: Great international interest in Danish military technology

    Defence Minister: Great international interest in Danish military technology

    Denmark’s Defence Minister Troels Lund Poulsen attended the Association of the Unites States Army’s annual expo in Washington DC from 14 to 16 October, together with some 20 Danish leading defence companies, where he says Danish drone technology attracted significant attention.

  • Doctors request opioids in smaller packs as over-prescription wakes abuse concerns

    Doctors request opioids in smaller packs as over-prescription wakes abuse concerns

    Doctors, pharmacies and politicians have voiced concern that the pharmaceutical industry’s inability to supply opioid prescriptions in smaller packets, and the resulting over-prescription of addictive morphine pills, could spur levels of opioid abuse in Denmark.

  • Housing in Copenhagen – it runs in the family

    Housing in Copenhagen – it runs in the family

    Residents of cooperative housing associations in Copenhagen and in Frederiksberg distribute vacant housing to their own family members to a large extent. More than one in six residents have either parents, siblings, adult children or other close family living in the same cooperative housing association.

Connect club

Connect Club is your gateway to a vibrant programme of events and an international community in Denmark.

Sign up here

Career

  • Come and join us at Citizens Days!

    Come and join us at Citizens Days!

    On Friday 27 and Saturday 28 of September, The Copenhagen Post will be at International Citizen Days in Øksnehallen on Vesterbro, Copenhagen. Admission is free and thousands of internationals are expected to attend

  • Diversifying the Nordics: How a Nigerian economist became a beacon for inclusivity in Scandinavia

    Diversifying the Nordics: How a Nigerian economist became a beacon for inclusivity in Scandinavia

    Chisom Udeze, the founder of Diversify – a global organization that works at the intersection of inclusion, democracy, freedom, climate sustainability, justice, and belonging – shares how struggling to find a community in Norway motivated her to build a Nordic-wide professional network. We also hear from Dr. Poornima Luthra, Associate Professor at CBS, about how to address bias in the workplace.

  • Lolland Municipality launches support package for accompanying spouses

    Lolland Municipality launches support package for accompanying spouses

    Lolland Municipality, home to Denmark’s largest infrastructure project – the Fehmarnbelt tunnel connection to Germany – has launched a new jobseeker support package for the accompanying partners of international employees in the area. The job-to-partner package offers free tailored sessions on finding a job and starting a personal business.

Want to advertise your job with CPH Post?

Contact us

Jobs