Jensen was elected member of
Folketinget for the
Social Democrats in the
2005 Danish general election. In the government of Prime Minister
Helle Thorning-Schmidt, Jensen served as Minister for Trade and Development Cooperation from 2013 until 2014. In response to the introduction of an
Ugandan law imposing harsh penalties for homosexuality in 2014, he led Denmark's move to divert 50 million crowns ($9 million) of development aid away from the Ugandan government. Also, under his leadership, Denmark joined the
Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) in 2015. Jensen was appointed
Minister for Food, Agriculture and Fisheries,
Minister for Gender Equality and
Minister for Nordic Cooperation in the
Frederiksen Cabinet from 27 June 2019. He saw himself forced to resign as minister on 18 November 2020 due to the mishandling of a case, where – in an attempt to prevent harmful
coronavirus mutations in the
mink population – the
Danish mink fur industry had been ordered by the Danish Veterinary and Food Administration to cull the entire Danish mink population without proper legal provision. ==Personal life==