German CDU parliamentary leader Jens Spahn resigns after Merz forces him out over surrogacy controversy

Resignation under pressure

On 18 July 2026, Jens Spahn resigned as parliamentary group leader of Germany's CDU/CSU after Chancellor Friedrich Merz, in his capacity as CDU party chairman, explicitly demanded his immediate departure. Spahn informed members of the parliamentary group in a letter seen by the German press agency dpa. Merz described the decision as "right and inevitable" and thanked Spahn for his collaboration.

He played a key role in shaping and guiding the parliamentary group's transition from opposition to government. Jens Spahn has been a crucial pillar of the coalition in developing the major reform projects of recent weeks.

Merz added that he would propose a successor in coordination with the CSU chairman, with the procedure and timeline to be worked out with party and parliamentary group bodies.

The surrogacy controversy

The resignation caps days of mounting pressure after it emerged that Spahn and his husband, Daniel Funke, had become parents to a son named Georg through surrogacy in the United States. Surrogacy is strictly prohibited under German law, and the CDU has long opposed any move toward legalisation. At a party congress in February 2026, the CDU voted to uphold the ban. Spahn himself, while serving as health minister in Angela Merkel's government in 2020, had rejected a proposal by the liberal FDP to partially legalise surrogacy, arguing that the "particular difficulties in the child's path of self-discovery raise concerns about possible negative effects on its development." The birth was first reported in German media on Thursday, 16 July, and immediately drew criticism from within the party, with some members accusing Spahn of hypocrisy.

Party backlash and calls for consistency

Several senior CDU figures publicly demanded Spahn's resignation. Daniel Peters, the CDU's regional president in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, accused Spahn of having "deliberately circumvented German law."

It is not acceptable to claim that one can act as a private citizen differently from what one advocates as a CDU representative, which stands for credibility and clarity especially on ethically sensitive issues. Jens Spahn is no longer tenable as parliamentary group leader and must resign.

Marion Rosin, head of the CDU women's association in Thuringia, called the resignation "a matter of consistency." The controversy also drew criticism from the opposition Greens, with lawmaker Janosch Damen weighing in, though his full remarks were not carried in the reports.

Political fallout and next steps

The episode has exposed a rift within the conservative bloc, which is already struggling with declining poll numbers as part of the coalition government with the CSU and the Social Democrats. Merz moved quickly to contain the damage, stating that credibility is fundamental in politics. The swift removal of Spahn, 46, a former health minister and one of the party's most influential figures, reflects a determination to enforce ideological discipline. The search for a successor now begins, with Merz promising to coordinate closely with the CSU. The affair leaves the CDU facing questions about its consistency on bioethical issues at a time when the coalition is under pressure on multiple reform fronts.