German labour minister Bärbel Bas resigns after stepdaughter’s death and political attacks

German Labour Minister Bärbel Bas has resigned from the government and as co-leader of the centre-left Social Democratic Party (SPD), citing the death of her stepdaughter and what she described as intensifying political attacks against her.

BERLIN: German Labour Minister Bärbel Bas has resigned from the government and as co-leader of the centre-left Social Democratic Party (SPD), citing the death of her stepdaughter and what she described as intensifying political attacks against her.

“After my stepdaughter’s death, I realised that I need time to come to terms with my grief,” Bas said in a statement.

She also criticised attacks by members of Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU), saying they had intensified during a personally difficult period.

Bas had faced criticism from some conservative politicians over the pace of economic and social reforms, including proposed changes to the pension system. Some had also questioned her absence from reform discussions while she was grieving.

SPD co-leader and Vice-Chancellor Lars Klingbeil condemned the criticism as “indecent” and cancelled a planned trip to India following Bas’s resignation.

Her departure deals a setback to Merz’s coalition government, which brings together the conservative CDU/CSU bloc and the centre-left SPD. The parties have disagreed over economic reforms, welfare spending and proposed pension changes.

Merz thanked Bas for her service and offered condolences to her family.

The dispute reflects wider tensions within the coalition over the direction and pace of reforms. Merz’s conservatives have pressed for changes to social spending and the economy, while the SPD has emphasised workers’ rights and social protections.