A prominent figure in German Chancellor Friedrich Merz's centre-right party resigned his leadership post Saturday, party sources told AFP, amid controversy over his use of a surrogate mother in the US despite a ban on the practice in Germany.

Former Health Minister Jens Spahn of the conservative CDU, who opposed legalizing surrogacy in Germany, has become a father with the help of a surrogate mother in the US.

Jens Spahn, a key ally of Chancellor Friedrich Merz, is stepping down amid a controversy surrounding his decision to have a child via a surrogate mother. He had opposed legalizing…