Helle Thorning-Schmidt facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Helle Thorning-Schmidt
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Thorning-Schmidt in 2024
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| Prime Minister of Denmark | |
| In office 3 October 2011 – 28 June 2015 |
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| Monarch | Margrethe II |
| Deputy | Margrethe Vestager Morten Østergaard |
| Preceded by | Lars Løkke Rasmussen |
| Succeeded by | Lars Løkke Rasmussen |
| Leader of the Social Democrats | |
| In office 12 April 2005 – 28 June 2015 |
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| Deputy | Frank Jensen Mogens Jensen |
| Preceded by | Mogens Lykketoft |
| Succeeded by | Mette Frederiksen |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 14 December 1966 Copenhagen, Denmark |
| Political party | Social Democrats |
| Other political affiliations |
Labour Party (UK) |
| Spouse |
Stephen Kinnock
(m. 1996) |
| Children | 2 |
| Alma mater | University of Copenhagen (cand.scient.pol.) College of Europe (MA) |
| Signature |  |
Helle Thorning-Schmidt (born 14 December 1966) is a Danish politician who is now retired. She was the Prime Minister of Denmark from 2011 to 2015. She also led the Social Democrats political party from 2005 to 2015.
Helle Thorning-Schmidt was the first woman to hold both of these important jobs in Denmark. After her party lost the election in 2015, she decided to step down. She then worked as the chief executive for the charity Save the Children until 2019. Since 2020, she has been a co-chair of the Meta Oversight Board, which helps make decisions about content on Facebook.
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Early Life and Education
Helle Thorning-Schmidt was born in Rødovre, a town near Copenhagen, Denmark. Her father was a university teacher who taught math. Her parents divorced when she was 10 years old. She grew up in a suburb called Ishøj.
She went to the University of Copenhagen and studied political science. She also earned a master's degree from the College of Europe in Belgium. This college is very well-known for studying European topics. She learned to speak English and French, in addition to her native Danish.
While studying in Belgium, she became interested in social democracy. This is a political idea that believes in fairness and helping everyone in society. In 1993, she joined the Social Democratic Party in Denmark.
Political Journey
Working in Europe
From 1994 to 1997, Helle Thorning-Schmidt worked for the Danish Social Democrats in the European Parliament. This is a group of elected people from different European countries who make laws for the European Union.
After this, she worked for a large group of trade unions in Denmark. In 1999, she was elected as a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) herself. For five years, she worked on committees that dealt with jobs and social issues.
Becoming a Member of Parliament
In 2005, Thorning-Schmidt was elected to the Folketing, which is the Danish Parliament. After her party lost the election that year, the leader of the Social Democrats, Mogens Lykketoft, stepped down.
Helle Thorning-Schmidt ran to become the new leader of the party. She was chosen by the party members on 12 April 2005. She then led the Social Democrats in the 2007 election. Even though her party didn't win, her leadership was still strong.
She wanted to make it easier for people seeking safety to come to Denmark. She also disagreed with tax cuts that were planned by the government at the time. Instead, she wanted more money for welfare programs to help people. Her party also wanted to fight climate change by getting more energy from renewable sources.
By 2011, her party and its allies were doing very well in opinion polls. Other party leaders, like Margrethe Vestager and Villy Søvndal, said they would support Thorning-Schmidt if she won the next election.
Prime Minister of Denmark
The 2011 Election Victory
In the 2011 Danish general election, Helle Thorning-Schmidt was re-elected to Parliament. Even though her party lost one seat, the group of opposition parties she led won more seats than the government. This meant they had enough votes to form a new government.
On 16 September 2011, the old Prime Minister, Lars Løkke Rasmussen, officially resigned. After talks with the other parties, Helle Thorning-Schmidt was appointed Prime Minister by Queen Margrethe II on 3 October 2011. She became the first woman to hold this top job in Denmark.
Leading the Country
As Prime Minister, Helle Thorning-Schmidt tried to find common ground between different political ideas. She worked on reforms that had support from both sides of Parliament.
One of the first things her government did was to change some strict laws about immigration. They also passed a tax reform. This reform aimed to encourage more people to work by lowering taxes for those who earned more. The idea was to make sure Denmark had enough workers in the future.
In 2014, one of the parties in her government, the Socialist People's Party, left the government. This happened because they disagreed about selling shares of a company called DONG Energy. Even after they left, they still said they would support Thorning-Schmidt's government.
End of Her Term
Helle Thorning-Schmidt led her party into the 2015 Danish general election. Her party actually gained more votes and seats. However, her allies, the Social Liberals, lost many seats. This meant that her group of parties no longer had enough support to stay in power.
Within an hour of the election results being announced, she said she would resign as both Prime Minister and leader of the Social Democrats.
Electoral History
Helle Thorning-Schmidt led the Social Democrats through several elections. Here's how her party did:
| Year | Type | Votes | % | Change in % | Seats | Change in Seats |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Local | 986,829 | 34.3 | +1.5 | 900 | N/A |
| 2007 | General | 881,037 | 25.5 | −0.3 | 45 | −2 |
| 2009 | European | 503,439 | 21.5 | −11.1 | 4 | −1 |
| 2009 | Local | 853,221 | 30.6 | −4.9 | 801 | −99 |
| 2011 | General | 879,615 | 24,8 | −0.7 | 44 | −1 |
| 2013 | Local | 919,574 | 29.5 | −1.1 | 773 | −28 |
| 2014 | European | 435,245 | 19.1 | −2.4 | 3 | −1 |
| 2015 | General | 925,635 | 26.3 | +1.5 | 47 | +3 |
Life After Politics
After leaving her role as Prime Minister in 2015, Helle Thorning-Schmidt continued to be involved in important global work. From 2016 to 2019, she was the CEO of Save the Children, a large international charity that helps children around the world.
In May 2020, she joined the Facebook Oversight Group. This group is independent and helps make decisions about what content is allowed on Facebook. She is one of twenty members on this board.
She has also held many other important roles. For example, she is a member of the Board of Directors for Vestas, a company that makes wind turbines. She also chairs a commission for the DBU to help promote women's football in Denmark. She is also part of groups that advise on global education, health, and international relations.
Personal Life
Helle Thorning-Schmidt is married to Stephen Kinnock, who is a politician from Wales. They met while they were both studying at the College of Europe. They have two children, a daughter named Johanna and a son named Milo.
When she was Prime Minister, Helle lived in Copenhagen with their children. Her husband, Stephen, worked in Switzerland and London. In 2015, he was elected as a Member of Parliament in the United Kingdom. The family now lives in London, but also spends time in Stephen's political area in Wales. Helle has also helped her husband and the British Labour Party with their political campaigns.
Helle Thorning-Schmidt was baptized into the Church of Denmark. She sometimes goes to church, but she has said she does not believe in some traditional religious ideas like eternal life or heaven.
