Merz taps chancellor’s chief of staff Thorsten Frei as new CDU/CSU faction leader after Spahn resigns

Jens Spahn stepped down as leader of the CDU/CSU parliamentary group in the Bundestag after it emerged that he and his husband had a child via a surrogate mother in the United States, a practice prohibited in Germany and at odds with the party’s long‑standing opposition to surrogacy. The revelation triggered widespread criticism within the Union and led to his resignation.

Chancellor Friedrich Merz and CSU chairman Markus Söder subsequently proposed Thorsten Frei, the chancellor’s chief of staff and a close Merz confidant, to succeed Spahn as faction chief. The Union’s joint faction will vote on the appointment at a special meeting on 29 July. The move is intended to restore stability within the coalition and to ensure loyal leadership after the internal upheaval.

The proposal was reported by Reuters and confirmed by German news agencies. Frei is seen as a trusted insider who previously served as parliamentary secretary and is expected to align the parliamentary group closely with the government’s agenda.