German Union leader Frei acknowledges past injustice to constitutional lawyer in Lanz show debate

Markus Lanz hosted a debate on his talk show featuring constitutional lawyer Frauke Brosius-Gersdorf and Thorsten Frei, the new parliamentary group leader of Germany’s Union party. During the discussion, Brosius-Gersdorf addressed past tensions with the Union, prompting Frei to acknowledge that she had been wronged in a public debate the previous summer.
“This debate took a turn that did you, as a person, a great injustice,” Frei said, adding that he and the party had made their position clear in prior private exchanges. Lanz asked whether the statement constituted an apology, to which Frei replied that he had already conveyed this sentiment directly to Brosius-Gersdorf, though not in person.
Brosius-Gersdorf, who has written a book about her withdrawal from consideration for a Federal Constitutional Court judgeship, criticized the Union’s handling of her candidacy, stating that the party had been “driven by various campaigns.” She also referenced broader cultural issues in German discourse, citing the Leihmutterschaft debate as an example of how opposing views are often “destroyed” rather than engaged with constructively. “We must finally have this debate,” she said, noting that both she and former health minister Jens Spahn had faced resistance from the Union over differing views on human dignity.
The exchange marked a rare public acknowledgment of past conflicts within the party. Lanz remarked that the conversation revealed lingering wounds, commenting, “You can tell there are still injuries here.”
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