'I taught Norway PM to drive' - father Thorvald
Richard Orange - [email protected]
Published: 16 Aug, 2013 CET.
Updated: Fri 16 Aug 2013 08:13 CET
The father of Norway's Prime Minister has defended his son's taxi driving stunt, saying that he knows his son is good behind the wheel as it was he who taught him to drive.
The father of Norway's Prime Minister has defended his son's taxi driving stunt, saying that he knows his son is good behind the wheel as it was he who taught him to drive. "He is an excellent driver," joked Thorvald Stoltenberg, 82, when the two met reporters on the campaign trail in Møre og Romsdal. "I taught him that he had to be quick on the brakes." A campaign video showing Labour leader Jens Stoltenberg working undercover as a taxi driver in Oslo went viral worldwide on Sunday, before the revelation that many passengers were paid began a backlash. Yesterday, the fall-out worsened when one of the passengers complained that Stoltenberg's poor driving had made her bad back worse, forcing the Prime Minister to ring her personally. Stoltenberg Sr, himself a veteran Labour politician, commended his son on the attention-grabbing stunt. "Yes, it was damn good!" he said. "The only thing that annoys me is that it was not me who did it." The Prime Minister assured reporters that it was pure coincidence that both he and his father were in Sunndal, a small industrial town, on the same day. The Prime Minister was visiting Hydro Aluminium, while his father held a talk at a local arts centre. Jens Stoltenberg said he was "very happy" that his father was involved in the campaign. But his father said that he would nonetheless stay away from the Labour party headquarters on election night preferring to monitor the results from home. The 82-year-old, who has spoken movingly about his grief at the loss of his wife Karin last October, said he was now receiving regular marriage proposals. "I got one last Monday. I reply to everyone, but call them. I'm better at talking than writing," he said.
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The father of Norway's Prime Minister has defended his son's taxi driving stunt, saying that he knows his son is good behind the wheel as it was he who taught him to drive.
"He is an excellent driver," joked Thorvald Stoltenberg, 82, when the two met reporters on the campaign trail in Møre og Romsdal. "I taught him that he had to be quick on the brakes."
A campaign video showing Labour leader Jens Stoltenberg working undercover as a taxi driver in Oslo went viral worldwide on Sunday, before the revelation that many passengers were paid began a backlash.
Yesterday, the fall-out worsened when one of the passengers complained that Stoltenberg's poor driving had made her bad back worse, forcing the Prime Minister to ring her personally.
Stoltenberg Sr, himself a veteran Labour politician, commended his son on the attention-grabbing stunt.
"Yes, it was damn good!" he said. "The only thing that annoys me is that it was not me who did it."
The Prime Minister assured reporters that it was pure coincidence that both he and his father were in Sunndal, a small industrial town, on the same day.
The Prime Minister was visiting Hydro Aluminium, while his father held a talk at a local arts centre.
Jens Stoltenberg said he was "very happy" that his father was involved in the campaign. But his father said that he would nonetheless stay away from the Labour party headquarters on election night preferring to monitor the results from home.
The 82-year-old, who has spoken movingly about his grief at the loss of his wife Karin last October, said he was now receiving regular marriage proposals.
"I got one last Monday. I reply to everyone, but call them. I'm better at talking than writing," he said.
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