Lie or Mistake by the Labour-Government?
Norway’s Labour government is facing harsh criticism after breaking key election promises on free ferries and student loan forgiveness. What Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre calls “a mistake” is seen by many as a deliberate deception — raising new questions about competence, credibility, and control at the top of government.
October 16, 2025 | NORWEGIAN POLITICS
Image by AI/S&P
On Wednesday, the Labour government presented its 2026 national budget, cutting funding for free ferries and student loan forgiveness. Not a smart move, given that during the election campaign they had promised to maintain both schemes — and had already prepared the budget weeks in advance.
Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre calls it “a mistake”, deflecting blame toward Health Minister Jan Christian Vestre, who made both promises in a campaign video. But Vestre is not alone — an entire Labour army repeated the same pledges throughout the campaign under the Prime Minister’s leadership.
Ferries fall under Transport Minister Jon-Ivar Nygård, the Student Loan Fund under Minister for Research and Higher Education Sigrun Aasland, and regional and district policy under Municipal and District Affairs Minister Bjørnar Selnes Skjæran. The man formally responsible for the budget is Finance Minister Jens Stoltenberg. Since taking a key advisory role in February, he has played a central part in the Labour Party’s strategy and is credited with much of the credit for their election rebound after last winter’s crisis.
That Jens Stoltenberg managed to maneuver through this controversy without revealing the truth should surprise no one who has read his book “On My Watch.”There, he describes in his own words how he avoids direct answers to questions — from both heads of state and journalists, read the book review here.
In this case, five ministers share responsibility — yet none of them noticed “the mistake.” The opposition, the press, and much of the public don’t believe this was an oversight. To them, it looks like a calculated lie to win the election. Across Norway, frustrated Labour mayors are left defending promises they made in good faith.
But if, for once, the government is telling the truth — that this really was a mistake — then all five ministers involved are politically and administratively incompetent. Unfortunately, this fits a pattern: a series of scandals leading up to the election, also involving five ministers — including the two at the top, read more here.
This is a government without control or transparency — a serious concern for a small country already vulnerable in a tense global situation. The government withholds information from its citizens about aircraft and drone incidents, cyberattacks, trade negotiations with the U.S., and plans to hand over control of Norwegian resources to the EU, to name just a few. It seems endless. The democratic principles of transparency and accountability are being set aside by this administration.
SOURCES
Government of Norway
National Budget 2026Aftenposten
a) Vestre Admits Error, Not a Lie
b) Støre Apologizes for “Mistake,” Denies LyingVG
a) “Forgot” Budget Cuts During Election Campaign
b) Støre Promised Free Ferries Days Before Election — Already ScrappedNRK
a) Government to End Student Loan Forgiveness Scheme
b) Western Norway Labour Party in Revolt
c) Controversial Campaign VideoMinistry of Transport
National Ferry RoutesMinistry of Education
Student Loan FundMinistry of Local Government and District Affairs
Regional and District Policy
Content on Society and Politics is based on reliable sources and actual events, providing a news-oriented perspective intented for further debate. To access the article’s author and the related debate, membership on Hudd is required.
