[27] The tax reform raised the top tax threshold, effectively lowering tax rates for high income earners. In the 2011 parliamentary election, she was re-elected to parliament. On 9 August and 12 December 2013, amid tensions between coalition partners, Thorning-Schmidt made cabinet reshuffles. [32], Having lost the Danish general election of 2015, Thorning-Schmidt stepped down as Prime Minister and as leader of the Social Democratic Party. Rasmussen's cabinet remained in office as a caretaker government[22] until 3 October, when Helle Thorning-Schmidt was appointed Prime Minister by the Queen following negotiations with the other opposition parties. Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen announced the extension of the current nationwide Covid-19 lockdown until January 17, 2021, in an … [68], In December 2013, Thorning-Schmidt, British Prime Minister David Cameron and US President Barack Obama faced criticism on social media that they had behaved inappropriately after posing for a "selfie" taken with Thorning-Schmidt's mobile phone during the memorial service for the former South African President Nelson Mandela. Before departure, they also announced they will support Thorning-Schmidt although not being a part of her government.[31]. The source of the leak was determined to be Peter Arnfeldt, spin doctor for then Minister for Taxation Troels Lund Poulsen. The controversial move in January led to the withdrawal of the Socialist People’s Party from the governing coalition. Omissions? After 15 hours of political debate at Parliament’s opening, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen spoke about the state acquisition of the last four remaining Danish circus elephants so they can retire. Marienborg, Lyngby, Copenhagen -Denamrk , 08 March 2015_Ms:mette Frederiksen social democrat and minister for justice arrives at lunch hosts by Ms. Helle Thornin-Schmidt Denmarks prime minister ( In red and black ) celebartes 100 years women voting right day by hosting lunch for 42 living women ministers from various parties and various covenornments 62 denmarks has female miniter during one h In mid-February 2015 Denmark was rocked by a pair of terrorist attacks that happened within hours of each other in Copenhagen. Starring: Sidse Babett … Mette Frederiksen is a Danish politician who has been Prime Minister of Denmark since June 2019 and Leader of the Social Democrats since June 2015. The Tax Minister in the new government, Thor Möger Pedersen, subsequently asked Peter Loft and the director of the revenue service's Copenhagen branch, Erling Andersen, to give a report on the happenings. Helle Thorning-Schmidt, (born December 14, 1966, Rødovre, Denmark), Danish politician who became Denmark’s first female prime minister when she took office in 2011. Despite their differences, Denmark’s real and fictional prime ministers share a common fate with women in even supposedly liberal western countries: the higher cost of professional success. To make matters worse, the Danish People’s Party emerged victorious in the European parliamentary elections in May, winning 4 of Denmark’s 13 seats with more than 26 percent of the vote, well ahead of the Social Democrats (3 seats). The mistake was corrected by SKAT for the three years from 2006 to 2008, and Thorning-Schmidt paid the amount she had saved due to the error. The party was also unable to regain its position as the largest party in the Folketing. Danish Prime minister Mette Frederiksen is also known as Mette Fup (Fake). Denmark’s new centre-left government will increase public spending and cut greenhouse gas emissions by 70% before 2030, the country’s youngest ever prime minister is to announce. It stems from the famous selfie of then-President Obama, David Cameron and the Danish PM at Nelson Mandela’s memorial service. Jeff Wallenfeldt, manager of Geography and History, has worked as an editor at Encyclopaedia Britannica since 1992. Many had protested the U.S. bank’s plans for a $1.4 billion investment in the utility, an arrangement that gave Goldman Sachs special veto powers not enjoyed by other shareholders. [17], Both Margrethe Vestager (Social Liberal Party) and Villy Søvndal (Socialist People's Party) have pledged their support to Thorning-Schmidt after a potential election victory. [13] She also opposed tax cuts announced by Anders Fogh Rasmussen, instead stating she would like to see more funding for welfare. Starring: Sidse Babett Knudsen, Birgitte Hjort Sørensen, Pilou Asbæk. She led the Social Democrats in the 2007 election, in which her party suffered modest losses and was forced into a third term in opposition. [59][60], The Danish tax authorities (SKAT) investigated reports that Thorning-Schmidt's husband, Stephen Kinnock, was guilty of tax evasion. Helle Thorning-Schmidt (Danish pronunciation: [ˈhelə ˈtsʰoɐ̯ne̝ŋ ˈsme̝t]; born 14 December 1966)[1] is a Danish retired politician who served as the 26th Prime Minister of Denmark from 2011 to 2015, and Leader of the Social Democrats from 2005 to 2015. [61] On 16 September 2010, Danish tax authorities acquitted the couple and the charges of tax evasion were dropped. [10], Thorning-Schmidt campaigned for the party leadership as a moderate candidate and was elected by the party members on 12 April 2005, ahead of the other candidate, Frank Jensen. Helle Thorning-Schmidt, (born December 14, 1966, Rødovre, Denmark), Danish politician who became Denmark’s first female prime minister when she took office in 2011. Politics. degree in 1994. Thorning-Schmidt studied political science at University of Copenhagen, earning a cand.scient.pol. Thorning-Schmidt was the youngest of three children in a family split by divorce. Ending her political career in April 2016, she was the chief executive of the NGO Save the Children until June 2019. Knudsen plays the role of the fictional Danish Prime Minister Birgitte, the character is sometimes believed to be based on Denmark's first female prime minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt. [9], In the 2005 Danish parliamentary election Thorning-Schmidt was elected to the Folketing. [1], Thorning-Schmidt was elected to the European Parliament as a member of the Party of European Socialists. In 2005 she was elected to the Danish Folketing (parliament) and that same year was chosen as the leader of the Social Democratic Party. [2], Following the resignation of Ghassan Salamé as head of the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) in 2020, the American Government proposed Thorning-Schmidt as special envoy to focus on mediating peace in Libya;[34] according to media reports, however, she withdrew herself shortly after. It was announced that she would become her party's member of the Presidium of the Folketing, and she currently serves as the Presidium's 1st Vice-President. A shocking turn of events puts Birgitte Nyborg in the Danish prime minister's seat as her country's first female leader in this landmark drama. Be on the lookout for your Britannica newsletter to get trusted stories delivered right to your inbox. [69][70] Defending her actions, Thorning-Schmidt said, "There were lots of pictures taken that day, and I just thought it was a bit fun. [24], Thorning-Schmidt presided over the successful conclusion of NATO's strike missions in Libya, to which Denmark was a contributor, less than three weeks after taking office. This has caused friction with the supporting Red-Green Alliance, which has been kept outside of influence. Although the party suffered considerable losses in the 2007 election to the ruling Liberal-Conservative coalition led by Prime Minister Anders Rasmussen, Thorning-Schmidt remained its leader. Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students. She is the first woman to hold each post. It was with Denmark’s first female Prime Minister … [65], Further controversy erupted when two days later the tabloid daily, Ekstra Bladet, reported that they had also been offered the confidential information that was made public during the election campaign. During the five-year term, she was a member of the Employment and Social Committee and served as a substitute on the Constitutional Committee. [66] This led to intense media speculation that the former government, and specifically Troels Lund Poulsen, were engaged in leaking confidential tax information and trying to pressure the revenue service into changing its decision in the case, in an active attempt to discredit the opposition leader in the then imminent election. She met her husband while they were both attending the College of Europe. Thorning-Schmidt’s government was shaken in 2014 when investment bank Goldman Sachs was allowed to purchase an 18 percent stake in Denmark’s biggest energy company, the largely state-owned DONG Energy. They have two daughters, Johanna and Camilla. Having earned another master’s degree, in political science, from the University of Copenhagen (1994), Thorning-Schmidt became an administrator for the Danish Social Democratic Party’s delegation to the European Parliament (1994–97) and then worked as a consultant for the Danish Confederation of Trade Unions (1997–99). While in high school, Thorning-Schmidt was involved with peace movements and antiapartheid efforts. [35], Also in 2020, Thorning-Schmidt was appointed by the World Health Organization's Regional Office for Europe to serve as a member of the Pan-European Commission on Health and Sustainable Development, chaired by Mario Monti.[36]. Creators: Adam Price. Helle Thorning-Schmidt is a Danish retired politician who served as the 26th Prime Minister of Denmark from 2011 to 2015, and Leader of the Social Democrats from 2005 to 2015. The instability of the restive ruling coalition was underlined by Thorning-Schmidt’s need to carry out the second cabinet reshuffle of the year in December, involving four new ministers. [29] Despite effectively lowering tax rates on high income earners, tax revenue continued to increase from 831,172 million Krone in 2011, to 901,001 million Krone in 2013, and eventually reached 954,473 million Krone in 2015 by the end of her time in office. [58], Although Thorning-Schmidt has been baptized into the Church of Denmark, she is not confirmed. It turned out that from 2000 to 2008 Thorning-Schmidt had made use of tax deductions applicable to her husband, even though he was not subject to Danish taxes and had no income in Denmark. At the end of May, Thorning-Schmidt called for a snap parliamentary election to be held on June 18. Denmark’s struggling economy had been the central issue of the election, and Thorning-Schmidt laboured to guide her government through implementing harsh tax and unemployment-benefit reforms and spending cuts aimed at deficit reduction. The commission of inquiry that had already been announced two days previously, was broadly supported by the Danish Parliament to also look into whether the former government was involved in, or knew of, the leak. A gunman killed a filmmaker and wounded three policemen when he shot through the windows of a café–cultural centre that was hosting a panel discussion titled “Art, Blasphemy and Freedom of Expression” that included the participation of a Swedish artist whose published depiction of the Prophet Muhammad in 2007 had stirred controversy. In addition, she has held several paid and unpaid positions, including: Thorning-Schmidt married Welsh politician Stephen Kinnock in 1996, becoming the daughter-in-law of Neil Kinnock, former leader of the British Labour Party and European Commissioner, and Glenys Kinnock, former British Minister for Europe. Thorning-Schmidt responded with a statement in which she said that the attack on Denmark’s Jewish minority was an “attack on all of Denmark.”. Updates? [16] Since late 2009 the opposition enjoyed large majorities in the polls, and according to polls carried out in January 2011 the opposition led the governing coalition under Lars Løkke Rasmussen by 5–7 points and the Social Democrats led Venstre by 7–10 points which would make the Social Democrats the largest party by far in the Folketing. [19][20] As the leader of the largest opposition party in Denmark, she was described by the media as the leader of the Danish opposition.[21]. Created by Adam Price, the series follows the ascent of Birgitte Nyborg (Sidse Babett Knudsen), who becomes the first female Prime Minister of … Following defeat in 2015, she announced that she would step down as both Danish Prime Minister and Social Democratic party leader. Thorning-Schmidt holds degrees in political science from the University of Copenhagen and a graduate degree from the College of Europe. Hours later another attack occurred outside a synagogue, where a member of the congregation who was providing security was fatally shot and two policemen were wounded. [11], She was against holding a referendum on the European Reform Treaty. The results were devastating for her governing coalition, which was forced from office. She came into office promising to raise taxes on Denmark’s banks and its wealthiest citizens, to increase social spending, and to roll back the stringent restraints on immigration initiated by the previous government. Helle Thorning-Schmidt officially began her first term as Prime Minister on 3 October 2011, after having presented her cabinet to the Queen and having received her official appointment. Biden Picks Former Michigan Governor Granholm for … Her father was politically conservative[3] and she grew up in the Copenhagen suburb of Ishøj. Thorning-Schmidt lived in Copenhagen with their children, while her husband partly resided in Davos, Switzerland, where he worked as a director for the World Economic Forum. In his speech of resignation on election night, 8 February 2005, he called for a leadership election in order to determine who should lead the party into the next election. Her parents divorced when she was 10 years old.[4]. This would constitute a hitherto unseen level of abuse of power in Danish political life. In the process, she was labeled by some as a promise breaker. [30] These effective reductions were in line with the 2009 tax reforms of Anders Fogh Rasmussen, a Venstre prime minister preceding her, which is likely why she received liberal-conservative support.[27]. The prime minister struggled in 2012, as she steered her sometimes volatile coalition through a tough program of tax and unemployment-benefit reforms, public spending cuts, and measures to balance the state budget by 2020. [8] She co-founded the Campaign for Parliament Reform (CPR). [1], After the defeat in the 2005 election, in which the Social Democrats lost five seats and failed to regain the majority it had lost in the 2001 election, former Minister of Finance and party leader Mogens Lykketoft resigned his post, taking responsibility for the poor election results. A shocking turn of events puts Birgitte Nyborg in the Danish prime minister's seat as her country's first female leader in this landmark drama. Meet extraordinary women who dared to bring gender equality and other issues to the forefront. Ring in the new year with a Britannica Membership - Now 30% off. On 30 January 2014, the Socialist People's Party announced their departure from Thorning-Schmidt's government due to a conflict over the proposed sale of DONG Energy shares to Goldman Sachs. [25], During the first year in office her government rolled back anti-immigration legislation enacted by the previous government,[26] and passed a tax-reform with support from the liberal-conservative opposition. The stated goal is to entice Danes to work more in order to compensate for the decreasing workforce, by lowering tax on wages and gradually lowering welfare payments to those outside of the labour market to increase the economic benefit of working relative to receiving welfare. [7], From 1994 to 1997, Thorning-Schmidt led the secretariat of the Danish delegation of Social Democrats in the European Parliament. Thorning has been the leader of the Social Democrats through seven electoral campaigns. Prime Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen formally tendered his resignation to Queen Margrethe on 16 September 2011. By signing up for this email, you are agreeing to news, offers, and information from Encyclopaedia Britannica. The family have been living in Kilburn, London since Thorning-Schmidt became CEO of Save the Children, whilst also spending time at Kinnock's constituency in Port Talbot. She also proposed extending the workday by 12 minutes (without compensation), thereby increasing personal productivity by one hour per week. Please select which sections you would like to print: Corrections? In the 2011 election the Social Democrats (44 seats) again finished behind the Liberals (47 seats) but were able to join the Social Liberal Party and the Socialist People’s Party in a centre-left minority coalition government with Thorning-Schmidt as prime minister. Denmark's current Prime Minister is Mette Frederiksen representing the social democratic … Following defeat in 2015, she announced that she would step down as both Danish Prime Minister and Social Democratic party leader. [12] During her 2007 campaign she promised to relax restrictions on asylum seekers and immigrants. The party also campaigned on a platform of combating increased inequalities in society, and fighting global warming by supplying 45% of Denmark's energy from renewable sources by 2025. Ending her political career in April 2016, she was the chief executive of the NGO Save the Children until June 2019. Meet extraordinary women who dared to bring gender equality and other issues to the forefront. [64] This set off a flurry of speculation in the press, as to whether there had been any political pressure from the then government to pursue a stricter course in the tax case. 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