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Quick facts for kids Lars Løkke Rasmussen
Rasmussen in 2023

Minister of Foreign Affairs
Incumbent
Assumed office 15 December 2022
Prime Minister	Mette Frederiksen
Preceded by	Jeppe Kofod
Leader of the Moderates
Incumbent
Assumed office 5 June 2022
Preceded by	Party established
Prime Minister of Denmark
In office 28 June 2015 – 27 June 2019
Monarch	Margrethe II
Preceded by	Helle Thorning-Schmidt
Succeeded by	Mette Frederiksen
In office 5 April 2009 – 3 October 2011
Monarch	Margrethe II
Deputy	Lene Espersen Lars Barfoed
Preceded by	Anders Fogh Rasmussen
Succeeded by	Helle Thorning-Schmidt
Leader of Venstre
In office 17 May 2009 – 31 August 2019
Preceded by	Anders Fogh Rasmussen
Succeeded by	Jakob Ellemann-Jensen
Minister of Finance
In office 23 November 2007 – 7 April 2009
Prime Minister	Anders Fogh Rasmussen
Preceded by	Thor Pedersen
Succeeded by	Claus Hjort Frederiksen
Minister of the Interior and Health
In office 27 November 2001 – 23 November 2007
Prime Minister	Anders Fogh Rasmussen
Preceded by	Karen Jespersen (Interior) Arne Rolighed (Health)
Succeeded by	Karen Jespersen (Social Welfare) Jakob Axel Nielsen (Health and Prevention)
Member of the Folketing
Incumbent
Assumed office 21 September 1994
Constituency	Zealand (from 2015) North Zealand (2007–2015) Frederiksborg (1994–2007)

Personal details
Born	(1964-05-15) 15 May 1964 (age 61) Vejle, Denmark
Political party	Moderates (2021–present)
Other political affiliations	Venstre (1980–2021)
Spouse	Sólrun Jákupsdóttir
Children	3, including Bergur Løkke Rasmussen
Alma mater	University of Copenhagen

Lars Løkke Rasmussen (born 15 May 1964) is a Danish politician. He has been the Minister of Foreign Affairs since 2022. Before this, he was the Prime Minister of Denmark two times. First from 2009 to 2011, and then again from 2015 to 2019. He also led the Venstre political party from 2009 to 2019.

Rasmussen has been a member of the Folketing (Denmark's parliament) since 1994. He also served as a County Mayor for Frederiksborg County from 1998 to 2001. Later, he was the Interior and Health Minister from 2001 to 2007. He then became the Minister of Finance from 2007 to 2009. On 5 April 2009, he became prime minister after Anders Fogh Rasmussen became the leader of NATO.

In the 2011 election, his government lost its majority. Rasmussen resigned, and Helle Thorning-Schmidt became prime minister. In the 2015 election, his party and its allies won again. Rasmussen became prime minister for a second time. In November 2016, his government expanded to include more parties.

He resigned as prime minister on 6 June 2019 after his government lost the election. He continued to lead a temporary government until a new one was formed on 27 June 2019. Mette Frederiksen then became the new prime minister. Rasmussen left the Venstre party in January 2021. He then started a new party called the Moderates. This new party won 16 seats in the 2022 Danish general election.

Early Life and Education

Lars Løkke Rasmussen was born in Vejle, Denmark. His parents are Jeppe Rasmussen and Lise Løkke Rasmussen. His last name is Rasmussen, and Løkke is his middle name.

He finished high school in 1983. From 1986 to 1989, he was the president of the youth group of the Venstre party. He studied law at the University of Copenhagen and finished in 1992. From 1990 to 1995, he worked as a self-employed consultant.

Lars Løkke Rasmussen is married to Sólrun Løkke Rasmussen. They have three children together.

Political Journey

Early Political Roles

Lars Løkke Rasmussen was the chairman of the youth branch of the Venstre party from 1986 to 1989. During this time, he helped raise money for school supplies in Afghanistan. He even visited Afghanistan with a Danish group to deliver the funds.

In 1998, Rasmussen became the deputy chairman of the Venstre party. In the same year, he was elected as the county mayor of Frederiksborg County. He held this position until 2001.

Minister of Interior and Health

From 2001 to 2007, Lars Løkke Rasmussen served as the Minister of Interior and Health. He helped create a rule that allowed patients in public hospitals to choose a private hospital. This was if the public hospital could not treat them within a certain time. This time limit was shortened from two months to one month in 2007.

Changing Denmark's Municipalities

As Minister of Interior and Health, Rasmussen led a big change in how Denmark's local areas were organized. This reform reduced the number of municipalities (local governments) from 271 to 98. It also removed the 14 counties and replaced them with five larger regions.

Minister of Finance

After Anders Fogh Rasmussen became prime minister for the third time in 2007, Lars Løkke Rasmussen was made Minister of Finance. This showed that he was likely to be the next leader of the Venstre party and prime minister. As Finance Minister, he helped deal with the 2007–2008 financial crisis by negotiating funds for banks.

Tax Changes in 2009

In February 2009, Lars Løkke Rasmussen was a key person in creating a major tax reform. This reform aimed to lower income tax and increase taxes on pollution. He said it was the biggest reduction of the marginal tax rate (the tax on the last bit of money you earn) since 1903.

Becoming Prime Minister

Rasmussen outside Amalienborg Palace after becoming Prime Minister.

On 4 April 2009, NATO chose Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen to be its new leader. Anders Fogh Rasmussen then announced he would step down as prime minister the next day. As the deputy leader of the largest party, Lars Løkke Rasmussen became the new Prime Minister of Denmark. On 7 April 2009, he announced the new ministers in his government.

COP15 Climate Conference

In December 2009, Lars Løkke Rasmussen led the COP15 in Copenhagen. This was a big meeting where countries discussed climate change. Some countries criticized how the negotiations were handled, but Rasmussen worked to move the talks forward.

Government Spending Plans

In May 2010, Rasmussen's government announced plans to save money and increase government income. These plans included reducing unemployment benefits and cutting foreign aid. The goal was to save the government 24 billion Danish Kroner.

2011 Election and Resignation

Rasmussen led the Venstre party in the September 2011 election. Even though his party gained one seat, the other parties won more seats overall. On 16 September 2011, Rasmussen resigned as prime minister. He stayed in charge of a temporary government until Helle Thorning-Schmidt took over on 3 October 2011.

Return to Government in 2015

Rasmussen with UK Prime Minister Theresa May in Copenhagen, 2016.

Rasmussen with U.S. President Donald Trump in Washington, D.C., 2017.

Rasmussen with Ukrainian Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman in Copenhagen, 2018.

Rasmussen led the Venstre party in the June 2015 election. His group of parties won the election, allowing him to form a new government. On 28 June 2015, all the ministers in his second government, made up only of Venstre members, were sworn in.

In 2015, Rasmussen said that Denmark was not a socialist country. He explained that Denmark has a market economy, which means businesses and people largely control economic decisions.

On 28 November 2016, Rasmussen formed his third government. This government included members from the Venstre, Conservative People's Party, and Liberal Alliance parties. In 2018, Denmark announced a ban on full-face veils.

After Being Prime Minister

2019 Election and Party Change

In the 2019 election, Rasmussen's party gained seats. However, his allies lost a lot of support, meaning his group no longer had a majority. On 6 June 2019, he admitted defeat and resigned. On 31 August 2019, he also resigned as the chairman of the Venstre party. He left the party completely in January 2021.

Leading the Moderates

In 2021, Rasmussen started a new political party called the Moderates. This party aimed to end traditional "bloc politics" where parties always stick to one side. In the 2022 Danish general election, the Moderates became the third largest party, winning 16 seats. Rasmussen himself received many personal votes. After long talks about forming a government, he was appointed Minister of Foreign Affairs in Mette Frederiksen's second government.

Minister of Foreign Affairs

In July 2024, he attended the 2024 NATO Summit in Washington, D.C. There, he met with the Israeli Foreign Minister to discuss international issues. In late October 2024, Rasmussen and other Nordic foreign ministers signed a letter. This letter asked the Israeli parliament to rethink a bill that would stop the UNRWA (a UN agency helping Palestinian refugees) from working in the area.