German labour minister Baerbel Bas quits after stepdaughter's death

Baerbel Bas stepped down as Germany's labour minister and as co-leader of the Social Democratic Party (SPD) on Monday, saying she needed time to process the death of her stepdaughter. In a statement, Bas said that after the loss she realised she had to come to terms with her grief. She also pointed to what she described as growing public attacks, including from members of the CDU/CSU conservative bloc that governs alongside the SPD.

Bas's ministry oversees large parts of Germany's welfare system, and her departure removes a senior figure from Chancellor Friedrich Merz's coalition at a difficult moment. Vice Chancellor and Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil, the SPD's other co-leader, said the criticism aimed at Bas while she was mourning was inappropriate and unacceptable. His ministry said he would scrap a planned trip to India that had been due to start later on Monday.

The resignation adds to pressure on the Merz government, which has been trailing in opinion polls and was rattled by regional election results last month that delivered major gains to both the far right and the far left. Coalition partners have been negotiating changes to Germany's pay-as-you-go retirement system to confront demographic pressures, part of a wider economic and social reform package. Bas had drawn fire from lower ranks of the conservative bloc over delays to the pension overhaul, which was meant to follow recommendations from an expert commission.

Merz adopted a conciliatory tone in a post on X, saying Bas's decision deserved respect and thanking her for her commitment and for their close cooperation. The SPD said Alexander Schweitzer, a former state premier of Rhineland-Palatinate and one of the party's deputy leaders, would become labour minister. It was still unclear who would replace Bas as the party's co-leader, and Bas said she would keep her seat in parliament.