Who is Lars Klingbeil?
Lars Klingbeil was born in Soltau, Lower Saxony, in 1978 and studied political science in Hanover, working in the constituency office of Chancellor Gerhard Schröder. He has sat in the Bundestag since 2009, was SPD General Secretary from 2017 and has co-chaired the party since 2021. After the SPD's defeat in February 2025 he took over its Bundestag group, negotiated the coalition with the CDU/CSU and became Vice-Chancellor and Finance Minister on 6 May 2025.
Previously: Chair of the SPD Bundestag group (February-May 2025) · SPD General Secretary (2017-2021) · Member of the Bundestag (2005, since 2009)
Documented positions
- Backed the March 2025 debt brake reform for defence and a 500 billion euro infrastructure fund, citing an aggressive Russia and an unpredictable United States.Source: wlrn.org
- As Finance Minister presented the 2026 federal budget and voted for it in November 2025.Source: abgeordnetenwatch.de
- Voted for the December 2025 pension package that holds the pension level at 48 percent through 2031.Source: abgeordnetenwatch.de
- Voted in March 2026 for replacing the Bürgergeld with a Grundsicherung with tougher sanctions.Source: abgeordnetenwatch.de
- Voted in February 2026 for the law implementing the EU asylum reform, including border procedures.Source: abgeordnetenwatch.de
- Voted for the December 2025 military service law with compulsory screening for young men.Source: abgeordnetenwatch.de
- Voted in December 2025 to reject a Linke motion to abolish inheritance tax breaks for the largest inheritances.Source: abgeordnetenwatch.de
- Said after the September 2026 state elections that the SPD stands by the coalition but that the current situation cannot continue as it is.Source: kuwaittimes.com
Record
Klingbeil's ministry oversaw the first budgets using the new borrowing room for defence and infrastructure. He was re-elected SPD chair in June 2025 with 64.9 percent, the second-lowest result for an SPD chair, after the party's weak 2025 election. Supporters cite the pension guarantee and higher public investment in the coalition deal; critics on the party's left cite the Grundsicherung reform and asylum tightening, while coalition partners have pressed for spending cuts.
On 12 October 2026 co-chair Bärbel Bas resigned as SPD chair and labour minister, leaving Klingbeil as sole chair. The SPD plans to re-elect its entire leadership at a congress around the turn of the year, Klingbeil left open whether he would stand again and said he would remain Finance Minister and Vice-Chancellor. Former Rhineland-Palatinate Minister-President Alexander Schweitzer was named to succeed Bas as labour minister.
In their words
“Ich bin sehr gerne Finanzminister und Vizekanzler dieses Landes und werde das auch weiterhin bleiben”
