Bas van 't Wout

Bastiaan "Bas" van 't Wout (born 22 April 1979) is a Dutch retired politician who served as Minister of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy in 2021 in the Third Rutte cabinet. A member of the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD), he was previously elected to the House of Representatives from 2012 to 2020, before he held the position of State Secretary for Social Affairs and Employment from 2020 until 2021.

Political career Career in local politics Van 't Wout became a municipal councillor of Amsterdam following the 2006 election.

In July 2020 Tamara van Ark was promoted from State Secretary of Social Affairs and Employment to Minister for Medical Care. Van 't Wout replaced her as State Secretary.

Minister of Economic Affairs, 2021 After the departure of Eric Wiebes, Van 't Wout was appointed as his successor as Minister of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy as of 20 January 2021 in the demissionary third cabinet of Prime Minister Rutte. He was in 6th place on the VVD candidate list for the 2021 elections. On 31 March 2021, he was sworn in again as a member of parliament.

On 24 May 2021 it was reported that Van't Wout was suffering from a occupational burnout and would not be returning to the parliament for at least 3 months; fellow cabinet ministers Stef Blok and Sigrid Kaag took over and shared the economic affairs portfolio in his absence.

Electoral history

+ YearBodyPartyVotesResult.Party seatsIndividual 2021 House of Representatives People's Party for Freedom and Democracy 6 4,074 34