Hanna Katrín hopes Jón Gnarr will rejoin parliamentary group

Hanna Katrín Friðriksson, Iceland’s minister of industries and a Viðreisn MP, is saddened that Jón Gnarr has left the party’s parliamentary group but says their friendship remains strong. She hopes he will return, she told mbl.is.

Gnarr informed the party’s MPs of his reasons for leaving the group, Hanna Katrín said. She declined to share those reasons, saying deeper conversations had taken place between him and party leader Þorgerður Katrín Gunnarsdóttir and parliamentary group chairman Pawel Bartoszek.

“He has been extremely valuable to us and a great colleague,” Hanna Katrín said. She added that she was glad Gnarr would continue supporting the government and that they had had good, meaningful conversations in recent days.

Gnarr’s departure from the parliamentary group was formally announced at the start of a parliamentary sitting at 1.30pm on Thursday. He said he would continue to support the government. Hanna Katrín said there was an agreement that he would remain close to the group.