Kristrún says Jón Gnarr’s departure came as a surprise

Prime Minister Kristrún Frostadóttir said Jón Gnarr’s decision to leave the Viðreisn parliamentary group took her by surprise, mbl.is reported.

Asked about Gnarr’s criticism in the television programme Kastljós, she said she did not know the details. He had hinted at various things but had not necessarily explained everything, she said.

“I don’t know what is going on within Viðreisn, but it is sad to see him go. He is a good and capable man. I thought he did well in his role, but I cannot answer for what happens within other political parties,” Kristrún told mbl.is after a cabinet meeting on Friday.

Asked whether the departures of Gnarr and Guðmundur Ingi Kristinsson from the People’s Party would affect cooperation in the government, Kristrún said the question of cooperation was separate from the sadness of losing people from their parties. She said she had valued working with both men and would have preferred them to remain formal members of their respective parties.

She said the government remained strong, with a 36-member majority, and that both Gnarr and Guðmundur Ingi had said they supported it. Kristrún described the situation as unusual but not unprecedented, adding that the government’s support was what mattered most.