Stephen Kinnock MP - The Husband of the Former Danish Prime Minister

Stephen Kinnock was first elected as the Labour MP for Aberavon in 2015, having been reelected in 2019 with a majority of 10,490.

The constituency of Aberavon is a relatively small seat in terms of its electoral size, focussed on the towns of Aberavon and Port Talbot. It spreads inland from the massive Tata steel works at Port Talbot on the coast into the south Wales valleys. This remains one of Labour’s safest seats in the country where the actual Labour majority is often as high as 50% of the vote. It was once represented in Parliament by the first ever Labour Prime Minister, Ramsay MacDonald. Three fifths of the electorate backed Brexit in the 2016 EU referendum.

In 2022, Kinnock was appointed by Sir Keir Starmer as the Shadow Minister for Immigration. He has expressed reservations about the practicalities of the government’s proposals in relation to immigration from Hong Kong.

He has also suggested that controlling illegal immigration would be a “top priority” in a Labour government.

Commenting on illegal migration and “small boats” crossings in early 2023, Kinnock said: “The government is panicking … and it’s too little too late. So in our first 100 days as a Labour Government, this is going to be a top priority in terms of getting a grip on this backlog, and working on it to get the right people in place”.

Gripping migration would be a ‘top priority’ in first 100 days of a Labour government, says shadow minister

Between 2021 and 2022, Kinnock was a Shadow Defence Spokesperson. He was previously the Shadow Minister for Asia and the Pacific between 2020 and 2021.

Born in 1970, Stephen Kinnock is the son of former Labour leader Neil Kinnock and his late wife Glenys. He joined the Labour Party when his father was leader, at the age of 15.

Expanding his political family, Kinnock is married to Helle Thorning Schmidt, who was formerly the Leader of the Danish Social Democrats, and who served as Danish Prime Minister between 2011 and 2015.

The couple have two children. In February 2022, the couple’s son, Milo came out as non binary. Speaking about Milo, Kinnock told ‘PinkNews’: “It takes real courage to go on the journey that Milo’s been on, and by talking about it so publicly he’s helped many others who are having similar experiences to discuss it more openly with their families and friends.”

Kinnock studied modern languages at Cambridge University and also attended the College of Europe in Bruges, Belgium. It was here that he met his wife. He then worked for the British Council and the World Economic Forum before being elected to Parliament.

Stephen Kinnock MP backed Lisa Nandy in the 2020 Labour leadership election. He supported Owen Smith in his 2016 challenge against Labour leader, Jeremy Corbyn. In the 2015 contest, he backed Yvette Cooper.

Mr Kinnock plays in the Parliamentary football team and enjoys running. He is fluent in five European languages.

Stephen Kinnock is Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Electoral Campaigning Transparency; Reuniting Britain post Brexit; Steel and Metal Related Industries; the UK Shared Prosperity Fund; and Denmark. He is Vice Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Groups on Compassionate Politics; the Union; and Russia.