Demand that the victories of KrF and the Liberal Party be eliminated to save the budget

FRP leader Siv Jensen warns Prime Minister Erna Solberg that “life will be made difficult” if she does not cut aid and the number of refugees from the quota.

On Friday, Prime Minister Erna Solberg announced that this is not a “rematch” over the political victories of the Liberal Party and KrF in this fall’s negotiations on the state budget for 2021.

There, the government will propose that Norway receive 3,000 quota refugees, and that development assistance will be one percent of gross domestic product, or about NOK 40 billion.

– We have to negotiate other things. We cannot renegotiate the things we agreed to at Granavolden. I think you have to be very aware of that, said Solberg and rejected the “revenge” on victories that other parties have had.

But FRP leader Siv Jensen certainly disagrees with that.

– These are things we were involved in in government that are miles away from FRP’s primary policy. FRP has left the government. Our advances were too small compared to the two smallest parties that had the largest advances, she says.

Quota refugees and aid were some of the most important victories for the Liberal Party and the KrF during the government negotiations, and Solberg now defends them against Frp.

FRP wants sharp cuts in both areas, and this may be the hottest topic of the fall.

– I understand that the Prime Minister uses the Granavold platform as the basis for the government’s work. Frp is not responsible for this. We made it clear the day we left the government.

– Therefore, it can not be a big surprise for the Prime Minister, says Jensen.

– Miles away from FRP policy

– Has the Prime Minister’s proposal made budget negotiations difficult this fall?

– FRP believes that everything is subject to negotiations. Nothing stops. If the Prime Minister doesn’t understand that, she has made life more difficult.

– Does Solberg warn that there will be no revenge for the victories of KrF and the Liberal Party?

– I have recorded that the Prime Minister has said that Granavolden is the base. It is a choice made by the Prime Minister. The FRP has left the government and bases the FRP party program. It cannot surprise the Prime Minister.

– In our opinion, all matters are subject to discussion. We are no longer part of government cooperation. These are things that we were involved in in government that are miles away from FRP’s main policy.

FRP: Refugee Quota Costs Billions

Granavolden is the place where the Conservatives, Greens, Liberals and Christian Democrats in January 2019 negotiated the political platform that led to Christian Democrats joining the Solberg government.

In January 2020, the FRP left the government and said that they are no longer bound by the agreements concluded in Granavolden.

– Solberg will not get a majority for the budget with us without significant impact for Frp. And then we are the ones who define what “significant impact” is, says Jensen.

Last weekend, the FRP national council approved cuts in refugee aid and quota, lower taxes to reduce cross-border trade and lower tolls as requirements to secure a majority for the government’s state budget.

Jensen says the Prime Minister “should take note” of the cases:

– For every 1,000 quota refugees who come here, it costs 1 billion crowns in the first year. The life cycle cost is much, much higher. And we spend billions on aid without having control over the proper use of funds, he says.

– Does the prime minister promise that the victories of the Granavolden FRP will also stand?

– It is nice. But Granavolden does not oblige us and must bear the consequences of it. One of the main reasons we left the government was that there was too much time between our advances. He had the opportunity to do something about it when we were in government, but he decided not to.

– How big cuts in refugees and assistance are needed to get FRP support?

– As much as possible. But we negotiate in closed rooms and not with the media.

– Would you rather overthrow the Solberg government than give in to demands for cuts in aid and the refugee quota?

– Our starting point is that we will negotiate and find a whole that we can support and put our mark on, says Jensen.