Lars Løkke Rasmussen, the founder and chairman of the Moderates, was unable to provide a detailed explanation as to why Jon Stephensen, an independent Member of Parliament, is allowed to participate in the Moderates’ group meetings despite no longer being a member of the party. The question arose during a group meeting held in the party’s room at Christiansborg on Tuesday.

Following the meeting, Rasmussen briefly stated that it was “because we decided it after an agreement with him (Jon Stephensen, ed.)” but declined to elaborate further when asked why this arrangement was in place.

Jon Stephensen’s presence at the group meeting on Tuesday marked his return to the Moderates’ group room since Thursday, May 15th.

Stephensen had been ousted from the party in August 2023, with Rasmussen stating that he had no future in the Moderates or Danish politics. At the time, Rasmussen conveyed to DR that the party had attempted to communicate “an unambiguous message that there is no future for you in the Moderates” through quiet diplomacy. He also suggested that helping both the Moderates and Stephensen move forward would be beneficial, as Stephensen supposedly had no future in Danish politics.