The Chairman of the Danish People’s Party, Morten Messerschmidt, has stated that he is ready to withdraw the party from the coalition behind the climate law with immediate effect if the Climate Minister Lars Aagaard wishes it. The announcement comes after both the Radical Left and the Unity List expressed on Sunday that they would be satisfied with having the Danish People’s Party out of the climate law agreement. “If the minister shares the position of the Radical Left and the Unity List, then I will not stand in the way of him being left alone with the reds,” Morten Messerschmidt told Ritzau. He further emphasizes that if there is no desire for the Danish People’s Party’s participation, they might as well get it over with immediately. In a statement to Berlingske, Messerschmidt made it clear that the party is ready to withdraw from the agreement if the upcoming CO2 tax on agriculture ends up costing jobs. Messerschmidt explained that climate policy has gone too far and is affecting the ordinary citizen.
The Radical Left’s climate spokesperson, Samira Nawa, believes that Messerschmidt should just withdraw from the agreement if that is his stance. The Unity List’s Søren Egge Rasmussen stated on X that there is no need for the Danish People’s Party in climate agreements. However, Messerschmidt notes that he understands that the Danish People’s Party has been a challenge for the left-wing in the coalition. He points out that the party has prevented the left-wing’s desires for higher climate taxes and fees in several areas. Messerschmidt also highlights their opposition to the left-wing in agreements such as the North Sea Agreement, where the Danish People’s Party managed to preserve the possibilities for oil production until 2050.
Following Messerschmidt’s statement in Berlingske, Climate Minister Lars Aagaard strongly criticized the Danish People’s Party. “This shows that DF (Danish People’s Party) and the far right have shown their true colors – and the color is black. They do not want to take responsibility for the climate,” the minister said. Lars Aagaard rejects Messerschmidt’s arguments and calls them populist. He adds that there is no need to create divisions around climate policy, which he believes the Danish People’s Party is doing unnecessarily. Ritzau is awaiting a comment from the climate minister on whether he shares the same view as the Radical Left and the Unity List.