Jón Gnarr says ministers’ relationship is strained

Jón Gnarr, an independent MP, says the relationship between Justice Minister Þorbjörg Sigríður Gunnlaugsdóttir and Foreign Minister and Viðreisn leader Þorgerður Katrín Gunnarsdóttir is strained. He described it as unhealthy and said it was one reason he left Viðreisn’s parliamentary group, mbl.is reported.

Gnarr remains a member of Viðreisn and says he supports the government. In an interview on mbl.is’s Spursmál programme, he described a long-standing lack of leadership, unclear decision-making and the formation of cliques. He said the conditions had made it untenable for him to remain in the parliamentary group.

Þorgerður Katrín declined to be interviewed yesterday after Gnarr’s interview was published. Mbl.is was unable to reach Þorbjörg for comment.

Gnarr also said Viðreisn had waited too long to replace parliamentary group chair Sigmar Guðmundsson after he took sick leave. Sigmar has since stepped down and Pawel Bartoszek has taken over. Gnarr welcomed the change but said MPs should not have had to work under the previous conditions.

Bartoszek said yesterday that he did not share Gnarr’s view that the parliamentary group had a sour atmosphere. He said he would not assess Gnarr’s personal experience and wanted to look ahead. Bartoszek also declined to take a position on Gnarr’s claims about the relationship between the two ministers.

Political science professor Eiríkur Bergmann called Gnarr’s departure from the parliamentary group “a blow to Viðreisn and a certain blow to the government”.