In a striking revelation from Lars Løkke Rasmussen’s new audiobook, “The Price of Liberation,” it emerges that his decision to form a government with Mette Frederiksen not only caused a stir in political circles, but also at home in private. His wife, Sólrun Løkke Rasmussen, was so dissatisfied with his political maneuver that one evening she chose to lock him out of their shared apartment. The former prime minister and current foreign minister recounts in the audiobook, which will be released tomorrow on May 8th, about the personal and political costs of his decision to enter into a government cooperation with the Social Democrats. A decision that was made at the end of 2022 and marked a significant shift in Danish politics by breaking the traditional bloc politics.
According to Løkke, it wasn’t just his political opponents who questioned his choice. His own wife was also strongly against the idea of seeing Mette Frederiksen continue as prime minister, a sentiment that culminated the evening she literally placed a chair in front of the door so he couldn’t get in. “I remember that when I came home in the very, very late hours – it was almost like early morning – and moved up to the third floor and unlocked the door, I couldn’t open it. It was like it was tied. I thought, ‘what’s going on here?'” Løkke tells in the audiobook.
It turned out that Sólrun had blocked the door with a chair to send a clear signal to her husband to think things over. Although it was a tough method, Løkke perceived it as a lovingly meant signal from his wife. The audiobook “The Price of Liberation” is narrated to journalist and author Kirsten Jacobsen and is being released by Politiken Publishing as a podbook, a blend between a podcast and an audiobook.
The publishing house describes the work as a sharp and moving tale of the political and personal trials Løkke has had to endure in a time of significant political polarization. Lars Løkke Rasmussen has previously published several books, in which he has shared his experiences and visions from his political career. With “The Price of Liberation,” he adds another chapter to the narrative of his political and personal life.