Even in cabinet, Spahn likely to be thorn in Merkel's side


Jens Spahn addresses a Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party congress in Berlin, Germany, February 26, 2018. REUTERS/Fabrizio Bensch

BERLIN (Reuters) - German Chancellor Angela Merkel's biggest critic within her own conservative party, 37-year old Jens Spahn, will not drop his demands for a rightward shift in the party once he becomes health minister, associates said on Monday.

Spahn, who once told a high school teacher he aspired to be chancellor, often grabs headlines with his conservative views, including a recent claim that too many "hipsters" were speaking English in Berlin instead of German.

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