Politics · Spahn Resigns · ArchiveJens Spahn Resigns in Surrogacy Scandal; Merz Floats Government ReshuffleAired July 20, 2026 at 11:34 AM UTCWritten September 7, 2026 at 9:22 PM UTCRead the write-upThis storyTranscript · LOADING0:00In Germany, the country's top0:01conservative parliamentary leader has0:03resigned over a surrogacy scandal, and0:05the chancellor is now signaling a0:07broader government shake-up could0:08follow. Jens Spahn stepped down as0:10CDU/CSU parliamentary group leader on0:13July 18th after it emerged he and his0:15husband had a son via a surrogate in the0:16United States, a practice he publicly0:19and politically opposed for years. Spahn0:21had called surrogacy a deeply personal0:23difficulty, writing in 2015 that he0:25found the idea of a rented womb0:27troubling. And in February of this year,0:29while his own surrogate was already 40:31months pregnant, he stayed silent as the0:33CDU voted to uphold Germany's ban on the0:35practice. That contradiction proved0:38politically fatal. Chancellor Friedrich0:40Merz called the resignation right and0:42inevitable, saying, "Credibility is the0:44most valuable asset in politics." Merz0:47made the comments in a July 19th ZDF0:49interview where he went further,0:51floating the possibility of a broader0:53cabinet reshuffle, calling it an0:55opportunity to think about the lineup.0:57That openness comes as Merz faces his1:00own crisis of confidence. Only 13% of1:02Germans say they are satisfied with his1:04performance, with three major state1:06elections scheduled for September. The1:08timing is seen as a last window to reset1:10public trust before voters head to the1:12polls. Berlin is the epicenter of the1:14turmoil. The CDU/CSU will hold a special1:17session on July 29th to elect a new1:20parliamentary group leader. The1:22front-runner is Thorsten Frei, currently1:24head of the Federal Chancellery, a move1:26that could trigger additional cabinet1:28changes across Merz's government. Green1:30co-leader Franziska Brantner has1:32encouraged Merz to use the reshuffle to1:34replace underperforming ministers. For1:37voters, the scandal has exposed a1:39glaring gap between the conservative1:40leadership's public stance and private1:42conduct, a trust deficit that may well1:45shape the outcome of September's1:46election.Explore with HeyDexThe shortThe short ↗