Minister of Foreign Affairs Villy Søvndal should find a new ministry that would allow him to cut down on globe-trotting and concentrate on being leader of the Socialist People’s Party - that’s the verdict of a majority of voters in a new TNS-Gallup poll for tabloid daily BT – nearly half of all respondents believe the SPP would benefit if he changed jobs, while just 25 per cent said he should continue as Foreign Minister.
Even 43.4 per cetn of the SPP’s own voters urge him to take an 'easier' ministry.
The poll comes in the midst of deep ideological division within the traditional workers party, which has led to thousands of voters deserting to the far left Red/Green Alliance. However, Mr Søvndal rejected accusations that he can't be fully committed to his role as Socialist People's Party leader whilst he's travelling the globe as Minister of Foreign Affairs and dismissed critics who claim his many trips abroad are the main cause of the internal unrest with SPP.
He said: "It's a complete myth that I'm out of the country so much. The Foreign Ministry has been reorganised into a number of ministries (Development and EU.ed), specifically to ensure that the Foreign Minister isn't away all the time."
Since the New Year, the SPP leader has been abroad for no more than 20 days, fewer than both Development Aid Minister Christian Friis Bach and Minister for Europe Nikolaj Wammen