Merz reshuffles leadership team after ally resigns in surrogacy row

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Friday announced a Cabinet shuffle following the resignation of conservative parliamentary group leader Jens Spahn over a surrogacy row.

Spahn stepped down on Saturday after it emerged that he and his partner had had a child via surrogacy in the United States. The practice is illegal in Germany. 

The changes by Merz are broader than many had anticipated, and mark a significant overhaul of the federal government and of the leadership in Merz's Christian Democratic Union (CDU).

Speaking in Berlin on Friday, the chancellor said former health minister Nina Warken would take over as head of the chancellery, replacing Thorsten Frei, who would step into Spahn's role as parliamentary group leader for the conservative bloc. 

Merz also confirmed that CDU Secretary General Carsten Linnemann is to become the new health minister. State secretary Philipp Amthor, meanwhile, will move to the position of federal-state coordinator at the chancellery.

Merz said that "there will be further changes." These would require "a few more days - and perhaps even more time - not least in light of the summer break," he told a press conference. 

He added that he would make further decisions "without rushing, with due care, and through the necessary discussions."

According to dpa sources and other German media reports, Transport Minister Patrick Schnieder is expected to step down from his post. 

After forcing Spahn out of his senior role in parliament due to the surrogacy controversy, Merz told reporters on Sunday that Spahn's departure "could be an opportunity to reconsider the composition of the federal government."

Merz's centrist coalition between conservatives and the Social Democrats is under pressure in the polls, with his conservative bloc - consisting of the Christian Democrats and Christian Social Union - trailing behind the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) nationally. 

In September, that pressure is set to increase with the AfD potentially winning two state elections in eastern Germany, if the polling is accurate.