Stephen Kinnock

The Honourable
Stephen Kinnock
MP
Member of Parliament
for Aberavon
Assumed office
8 May 2015
Preceded by Hywel Francis
Majority 16,761 (50.4%)
Spouse of the Prime Minister of Denmark
In office
3 October 2011 – 28 June 2015
Monarch Margrethe II
Prime Minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt
Preceded by Sólrun Løkke Rasmussen
Succeeded by Sólrun Løkke Rasmussen
Personal details
Born Stephen Nathan Kinnock
(1970-01-01) 1 January 1970
Tredegar, Monmouthshire, Wales
Political party Labour
Spouse(s)
Children 2
Parents
Alma mater

Stephen Nathan Kinnock (born 1 January 1970) is a British Labour Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for Aberavon since the 2015 general election. His wife is the former Danish Prime Minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt and his father, Neil Kinnock, served as the (Labour) Leader of the Opposition of the United Kingdom (1983–1992) and is a former European Commissioner and Vice President of the European Commission from 1999 to 2004.

Early life and education

Kinnock was born in Tredegar, Monmouthshire, the son of British politicians Glenys and Neil Kinnock.[1][2] He was educated at Drayton Manor High School, a comprehensive school in London. He studied Modern Languages at Queens' College, Cambridge, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree. He studied for a Master of Arts (MA) degree at the College of Europe in Bruges, graduating in 1993.

Stephen Kinnock describes himself as from a "Labour and Trade Union family".[3]

Career

Kinnock worked as a research assistant at the Brussels European Parliament before becoming a British Council Development and Training Services executive based in Brussels in 1997. He held various positions with the British Council including office director of the St. Petersburg office. Following the Russian authorities' closure of this office,[4][5][6] Kinnock took up a position with the British Council in Sierra Leone.[7]

In January 2009, he joined the World Economic Forum as director, head of Europe and Central Asia, based in Geneva, Switzerland.[8] In August 2012, he took up a position at Xyntéo in London, Kinnock was managing director of the "Global Leadership and Technology Exchange" in 2012.[9]

Political career

Kinnock speaking at the 2016 Labour Party Conference

In March 2014, Kinnock was selected as the Labour Party candidate for the seat of Aberavon in Wales for the 2015 General Election.[10] On 7 May 2015, he was elected the Member of Parliament for Aberavon with a majority of 10,445. He was re-elected in 2017 with an increased majority of 16,761, and 68.1% of the vote share.

During the 2017 general election campaign, Kinnock was one of four MPs critical of Jeremy Corbyn's leadership of the Labour Party who were followed for six weeks for the BBC documentary Labour: The Summer that Changed Everything. The documentary showed Kinnock predicting the poll would "not be a good night" for Labour, and his response to Labour gains in the election.[11][12][13]

Personal life

In 1996, Kinnock married Helle Thorning-Schmidt, who later became Prime Minister of Denmark. They met when both attended the College of Europe. The couple have two daughters.[14]

In June 2010, the Danish tabloid BT accused Kinnock of tax evasion.[15] At that time he was paying tax in Switzerland where his workplace was situated, and therefore had his main residence there, although his wife's political website states that "The family lives in Østerbro in Copenhagen".[16] The couple had previously stated to the media that Kinnock would spend his weekends in Denmark, sometimes including Thursday, and that he regarded his home and base as being exclusively with his family in Copenhagen. According to the tabloid, he would possibly exceed 183 days a year in Denmark, meaning he would be fully taxable there.

His wife, Helle Thorning-Schmidt, rebutted the accusations but said the couple would ask the Danish tax authority for an audit.[17][18] The audit by the Danish Tax & Customs Administration (SKAT) was concluded on 17 September 2010, and in its Official Report SKAT stated that "Mr Kinnock does not have tax liability for 2007, 08, or 09, as he does not reside in this country within the meaning of the Danish Tax at Sources Act".[19][20][21]

Styles and titles

  • Mr Stephen Nathan Kinnock (birth to 2005)
  • The Honourable Stephen Nathan Kinnock (2005–2015)
  • The Honourable Stephen Nathan Kinnock, MP (2015 to present)

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Stephen Kinnock og spørgsmålet om beskatning i Danmark" (PDF) (in Danish). The Danish Union of Journalists. 28 August 2010. Archived from the original (PDF) on 15 December 2011. Retrieved 15 September 2011.
  2. ↑ Andreyeva, Yelena (28 November 2006). "British Council Chief Imparts Value of Internationalism". The St. Petersburg Times. St. Petersburg. Retrieved 14 September 2011. Born in 1970 in a small town named Tredegar in South Wales [...]
  3. ↑ "Labour MP for Aberavon", no date.
  4. ↑ "Russia warned over 'intimidation'", BBC News 16 January 2008
  5. ↑ "'Now we really have a crisis' – Russia's man in London leaving the Foreign Office yesterday", The Guardian 17 January 2008
  6. ↑ "British Unit Is Alleging 'Intimidation' By Moscow: Culture Offices Shut In Growing Dispute", Washington Post 18 January 2008
  7. ↑ Daily Hansard Archived 5 June 2011 at the Wayback Machine. (end of column 1128), House of Commons Publications and Reports 20 March 2008
  8. ↑ "Stephen Kinnock to head World Economic Forum's Europe and Central Asia team Archived 12 February 2009 at the Wayback Machine.", WEF press release 2 December 2008
  9. ↑ Xynteo press release
  10. ↑ "Neil Kinnock's son Stephen selected to fight Aberavon seat". BBC News. 22 March 2014. Retrieved 22 March 2014.
  11. ↑ Horton, Helena (21 November 2017). "Stephen Kinnock given a dressing down by former Danish PM wife for post exit poll TV appearance". Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 2 December 2017.
  12. ↑ "Helle Thorning Schmidt: Former Danish PM hailed for magnificent admonishment of Labour MP husband Stephen Kinnock in BBC documentary". The Independent. 21 November 2017. Retrieved 2 December 2017.
  13. ↑ Hayward, Will (21 November 2017). "Everything we learned about Stephen Kinnock and politics from the BBC documentary on Labour's summer". Wales Online. Retrieved 2 December 2017.
  14. ↑ "Profile: Danish PM-elect Helle Thorning-Schmidt". Bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 4 July 2016.
  15. ↑ B.T. afslører Helle Thorning og manden : Scorer kassen i skattely, BT, 23 June 2010 (in Danish)
  16. ↑ Helle afsløret af bommert på egen hjemmeside, BT, 24 June 2010 (in Danish)
  17. ↑ Opposition leader requests audit of husband, The Copenhagen Post, 24 June 2010
  18. ↑ "Kinnock's son faces fresh tax allegations", The Daily Telegraph, 14 August 2010
  19. ↑ "Thorning-Schmidt eyes victory", Politiken, 17 September 2010.
  20. ↑ Spongenberg, Helena, "Nordic Social Democrat parties are losing their historic power", EU Observer, 20 September 2010.
  21. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 17 March 2015.
Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by
Hywel Francis		 Member of Parliament
for Aberavon
2015–present		 Incumbent
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