Stephen Kinnock

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The Honourable

Stephen Kinnock

MP
Official portrait of Stephen Kinnock MP crop 2.jpg
Kinnock in 2020
Shadow Minister for Asia and the Pacific
Assumed office
9 April 2020
LeaderKeir Starmer
Preceded byAfzal Khan (Central & South Asia)
Lloyd Russell-Moyle (East Asia & Pacific)
Member of Parliament
for Aberavon
Assumed office
7 May 2015
Preceded byHywel Francis
Majority10,490 (33.2%)
Spouse of the Prime Minister of Denmark
In office
3 October 2011 – 28 June 2015
Prime MinisterHelle Thorning-Schmidt
Preceded bySólrun Løkke Rasmussen
Succeeded bySólrun Løkke Rasmussen
Personal details
Born
Stephen Nathan Kinnock

(1970-01-01) 1 January 1970 (age 51)
Tredegar, Wales
Political partyLabour
Spouse(s)Helle Thorning-Schmidt
(m. 1996)
ChildrenTwo daughters
Parents
Alma mater
Websitewww.stephenkinnock.co.uk

Stephen Nathan Kinnock (born 1 January 1970) is a Welsh 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. His father, Neil is a former Leader of the Labour Party and was also a European Commissioner and Vice President of the European Commission. His mother, Glenys, formerly served as a Labour Party Member of the European Parliament (MEP).

Early life and education[]

Kinnock was born in Tredegar, Monmouthshire, the son of British politicians Glenys Kinnock and Neil Kinnock.[1][2] He describes himself as from a "Labour and Trade Union family".[3]

Kinnock was educated at Drayton Manor High School, a comprehensive school in Hanwell, 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.

Although Kinnock's mother was a Welsh speaker, his father was not; he has suggested that Glenys "was reluctant to use Welsh with me for fear of shutting him out".[4] He began learning the language properly as an adult, making a pledge to do so when he stood as a parliamentary candidate for a Welsh constituency. He is multi-lingual and has stated that "Languages go to right to the root of me", adding "...as a politician I want to reach out and listen. Languages are a major part of that."[5]

Early 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 director of its St. Petersburg office. Following the Russian authorities' closure of this office,[6][7][8] Kinnock was posted to the British Council in Sierra Leone.[9]

In January 2009, he joined the World Economic Forum as director, head of Europe and Central Asia, based in Geneva, Switzerland.[10] In August 2012, he took up a position at in London, Kinnock was managing director of the "Global Leadership and Technology Exchange" in 2012.[11]

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.[12] 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.

He supported Owen Smith in the failed attempt to replace Jeremy Corbyn in the 2016 Labour Party leadership election.[13]

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.[14][15][16]

Kinnock held his seat at the 2019 general election with a majority of 10,490 and a vote share of 53.8%.[17] He endorsed Lisa Nandy in the 2020 Labour Party leadership election.[18]

COVID-19 non-compliance allegation[]

Kinnock posted a photo on Twitter after travelling from Wales to London to visit his father on his birthday on 28 March 2020 – five days after the lockdown came into force. They were social distancing, but South Wales Police responded: "We know celebrating your Dad's birthday is a lovely thing to do; however, this is not essential travel. We all have our part to play in this, we urge you to comply with @GOVUK restrictions, they are in place to keep us all safe. Thank you." Kinnock stated that "this was essential travel as I had to deliver some necessary supplies to my parents".[19]

Refuted tax evasion allegation[]

In June 2010, the Danish tabloid BT accused Kinnock of tax evasion.[20] At that time, he was paying tax in Switzerland where his workplace was situated, and therefore where he had his main residence, although his wife's political website states that "The family lives in Østerbro in Copenhagen".[21] 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 rebutted the accusations but said the couple would ask the Danish tax authority for an audit.[22][23] The audit was concluded on 17 September 2010, and concluded 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".[24][25][26]

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.[27]

Kinnock is an honorary associate of the National Secular Society.[28]

When his father was created a life peer in 2005 as Baron Kinnock of Bedwellty, Kinnock was granted the prefix The Honourable as the son of a baron. As it is a life peerage rather than a hereditary peerage, Kinnock will not inherit his father's title.

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. Archived from the original on 17 February 2015. Retrieved 14 September 2011. Born in 1970 in a small town named Tredegar in South Wales [...]
  3. ^ "Labour MP for Aberavon" Archived 1 November 2014 at the Wayback Machine, no date.
  4. ^ "Où est le post office?". TLS. 12 June 2020. Retrieved 13 March 2021.
  5. ^ "The Power of Languages". UKRI: 26. Retrieved 13 March 2021. Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  6. ^ "Russia warned over 'intimidation' Archived 19 January 2008 at the Wayback Machine", BBC News 16 January 2008
  7. ^ "'Now we really have a crisis' – Russia's man in London leaving the Foreign Office yesterday Archived 16 September 2016 at the Wayback Machine", The Guardian 17 January 2008
  8. ^ "British Unit Is Alleging 'Intimidation' By Moscow: Culture Offices Shut In Growing Dispute Archived 1 December 2017 at the Wayback Machine", The Washington Post, 18 January 2008.
  9. ^ Daily Hansard Archived 5 June 2011 at the Wayback Machine (end of column 1128), House of Commons Publications and Reports 20 March 2008
  10. ^ "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
  11. ^ "Xyntéo – GLTE Russia New Growth Partnership roundtable". 25 July 2014. Archived from the original on 25 July 2014.
  12. ^ "Neil Kinnock's son Stephen selected to fight Aberavon seat". BBC News. 22 March 2014. Archived from the original on 23 March 2014. Retrieved 22 March 2014.
  13. ^ "Full list of MPs and MEPs backing challenger Owen Smith". LabourList. 21 July 2016. Archived from the original on 15 July 2019. Retrieved 15 July 2019.
  14. ^ Horton, Helena (21 November 2017). "Stephen Kinnock given a dressing down by former Danish PM wife for post exit poll TV appearance". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 3 December 2017. Retrieved 2 December 2017.
  15. ^ "Helle Thorning Schmidt: Former Danish PM hailed for magnificent admonishment of Labour MP husband Stephen Kinnock in BBC documentary". The Independent. 21 November 2017. Archived from the original on 3 December 2017. Retrieved 2 December 2017.
  16. ^ Hayward, Will (21 November 2017). "Everything we learned about Stephen Kinnock and politics from the BBC documentary on Labour's summer". Wales Online. Archived from the original on 3 December 2017. Retrieved 2 December 2017.
  17. ^ "Aberavon parliamentary constituency – Election 2019". Archived from the original on 13 April 2019. Retrieved 15 December 2019.
  18. ^ Kinnock, Stephen (4 January 2020). "I'm proud to be backing @lisanandy because she understands how our Party must change if it is to re-build trust. She has a clear, radical & realistic plan around which our entire movement can unite, and she will lead with purpose, drive, courage and dynamism. #LabourLeadership". @SKinnock. Retrieved 4 January 2020.
  19. ^ Parveen, Nazia (29 March 2020). "Stephen Kinnock targeted by police for visiting father, Neil". The Guardian.
  20. ^ B.T. afslører Helle Thorning og manden : Scorer kassen i skattely Archived 26 June 2010 at the Wayback Machine, BT, 23 June 2010 (in Danish)
  21. ^ Helle afsløret af bommert på egen hjemmeside Archived 27 June 2010 at the Wayback Machine, BT, 24 June 2010 (in Danish)
  22. ^ Opposition leader requests audit of husband[permanent dead link], The Copenhagen Post, 24 June 2010
  23. ^ Swaine, Jon; Beckford, Martin (14 August 2010). "Kinnock's son faces fresh tax allegations". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 18 November 2018. Retrieved 6 April 2019.
  24. ^ "Thorning-Schmidt eyes victory" Archived 14 July 2015 at the Wayback Machine, Politiken, 17 September 2010.
  25. ^ Spongenberg, Helena (20 September 2010). "Nordic Social Democrat parties are losing their historic power". EU Observer. Archived from the original on 4 September 2019. Retrieved 4 September 2019.
  26. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 17 March 2015.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  27. ^ "Profile: Danish PM-elect Helle Thorning-Schmidt". BBC News. 16 September 2011. Archived from the original on 11 May 2015. Retrieved 4 July 2016.
  28. ^ "Honorary Associates". www.secularism.org.uk. Archived from the original on 2 August 2019. Retrieved 11 August 2019.

External links[]

Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by
Hywel Francis 		Member of Parliament
for Aberavon
2015–present 		Incumbent
Retrieved from ""