Klaas Dijkhoff | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Dijkhoff in 2015 | |
| Leader of thePeople's Party for Freedom and Democracy in theHouse of Representatives | |
| In office 26 October 2017 – 18 March 2021 | |
| Preceded by | Halbe Zijlstra |
| Succeeded by | Mark Rutte |
| Minister of Defence | |
| In office 4 October 2017 – 26 October 2017 | |
| Prime Minister | Mark Rutte |
| Preceded by | Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert |
| Succeeded by | Ank Bijleveld |
| State Secretary forSecurity and Justice | |
| In office 20 March 2015 – 4 October 2017 | |
| Prime Minister | Mark Rutte |
| Preceded by | Fred Teeven |
| Succeeded by | Mark Harbers |
| Member of theHouse of Representatives | |
| In office 23 March 2017 – 31 March 2021 | |
| In office 17 June 2010 – 20 March 2015 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Klaas Henricus Dominicus Maria Dijkhoff (1981-01-13)13 January 1981 (age 44) |
| Nationality | Dutch |
| Political party | People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (since 1998) |
| Residence | Breda |
| Alma mater | Tilburg University(LLM,MPhil,PhD) |
| Occupation | Politician ·Jurist ·Legal educator ·Researcher ·Consultant |
Klaas Henricus Dominicus Maria Dijkhoff (born 13 January 1981) is a Dutch legal scholar and politician who led thePeople's Party for Freedom and Democracy in theHouse of Representatives from 2017 to 2021. He previously wasMinister of Defence (2017) andState Secretary forSecurity and Justice (2015–2017).
Ajurist by occupation, Dijkhoff resides inBreda. He was elected as a member of the House of Representatives in the2010 general election. After the resignation ofFred Teeven, he was appointed to succeed him and resigned as a parliamentarian the same day he took office asState Secretary at theMinistry of Security and Justice in theSecond Rutte cabinet on 20 March 2015. After the resignation ofMinister of DefenceJeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, Dijkhoff was nominated to serve out the remainder of her term in the alreadydemissionarySecond Rutte cabinet and resigned as State Secretary for Security and Justice on 4 October 2017 and served asMinister of Defence until theThird Rutte cabinet was installed on 26 October 2017.
Dijkhoff announced in October 2020 that he would retire from politics following the2021 general election.
Klaas Henricus Dominicus Maria Dijkhoff was born on 13 January 1981 in the town ofSoltau in Germany. He is the son of officer Henricus Marikus Cornelis Dijkhoff and nurse Petronella Dominicus Maria Thijssen.
Dijkhoff went to secondary school inEindhoven, where he did thegymnasium programme. He then studiedDutch law at theTilburg University, where he successively obtained anLLM degree in international and European law in 2003,[1][2] anMPhil degreecum laude in 2005,[3][4] and aPhD degree inlaw of war in 2010 with his dissertation titledWar, Law and Technology.[5]
While writing his thesis he worked as alegal scholar atTilburg University andInholland University of Applied Sciences. He also had his own consultancy firm specialised in legal affairs and IT.
Dijkhoff became a member of the VVD in 1998. He held several positions within the party such as member of the election program committee in 2009–2010 and from 11 March 2010 until 7 February 2013 he was a member as well as VVDfraction leader of themunicipal council ofBreda.
On 17 June 2010, he was elected as a member of theHouse of Representatives. In 2013, Dijkhoff got appointed national campaign leader for the municipal council elections of March 2014. He first became the party's spokesperson on development aid. He booked his biggest success in stopping subsidies to development organisations with a chairman earning more than €124,000.00 a year. Later on he became the spokesperson onEuropean affairs. He was then the VVD spokesperson on matters of homeland security, public safety and police affairs.
Dijkhoff passed two motions in the House of Representatives in the battle againstJihad fighters. His motions called upon the cabinet to stop free travel to conflict zones and denationalisation ofJihad fighters.[6][7] In 2013, he passed legislation through parliament making identity fraud a punishable offence.[8]
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He resigned on 20 March 2015, when he becameState Secretary forSecurity and Justice in theSecond Rutte cabinet. His portfolio included Integration, Immigration, Asylum Affairs, Public Prosecution Service, Privacy Policy, Administrative Law, Family Law, Youth Justice, International Law, Prison Administration, Gambling Policy, Copyright Law, Rehabilitation, Prevention, Debt Management and Minority Affairs. On 4 October 2017, he resigned to becomeMinister of Defence following the resignation ofJeanine Hennis-Plasschaert.
Dijkhoff was reelected to theHouse of Representatives in thegeneral election of 2017. When theThird Rutte cabinet was inaugurated on 26 October 2017, he succeeded Rutte asleader of thePeople's Party for Freedom and Democracy in theHouse of Representatives.
Dijkhoff lives together with his wife in Breda. In July 2017, their daughter was born. In September 2018, he wrote an open letter to ArchsbishopWim Eijk, explaining that he was leaving theCatholic Church and revoking his membership after Eijk had criticised him in an interview.[11]
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| Preceded by | Parliamentary leader of thePeople's Party for Freedom and Democracy in theHouse of Representatives 2017–2021 | Succeeded by |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by | State Secretary for Security and Justice 2015–2017 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Minister of Defence 2017 | Succeeded by |
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