The fight over Brosius-Gersdorf came after questionable allegations of plagiarism surfaced against her and amid what many viewed as a smear campaign aimed at discrediting the legal expert over her views on abortion. Brosius-Gersdorf withdrew her candidacy last month, writing in an open letter that she wanted to prevent “the coalition dispute over the selection of judges from escalating and setting in motion a development whose effects on democracy are unforeseeable.”

The conflict over Brosius-Gersdorf underscored not only emerging divides inside the coalition, but its relative fragility given the government’s weak parliamentary majority and the rise of radical parties. The popularity of far-right Alternative for Germany, now the second-biggest party in Germany’s Bundestag, means Merz’s centrist coalition controls only 52 percent of parliamentary seats, making it particularly vulnerable to even small disputes and defections within the rank and file.

Members of Merz’s government now hope that, with the votes to appoint three top court judges behind them, the coalition will be able to set aside the highly emotional dispute and begin to address a series of pressing economic and pension reforms.

“Today’s vote brings an end to a period of uncertainty,” said Jens Spahn, leader of the conservative faction in the Bundestag. “We as a coalition, the conservatives and the SPD, have come through the summer recess in good shape. We have found our footing.”

Rasmus Buchsteiner and Hans von der Burchard contributed to this report.

Pressed on the president’s comments, Starmer admitted this was an area where they do not agree.

“As you saw from the state visit last week, there’s lots that the president and I agree on. And we work together on,” he told ITV London. “There’s a few things we disagree about. This is one of them.

“The idea of the introduction of Sharia law is nonsense. And Sadiq Khan is a very good man and actually driving down serious crime.” Starmer also called Trump’s comments “ridiculous.”

Asked whether he would challenge Trump on his remarks, the PM said: “We have a frank conversation about many, many things. But I want to express my support for our mayor.”

Khan, London’s first Muslim mayor, branded Trump racist, sexist, misogynistic and Islamophobic. But Starmer would “not get drawn into a war of words” about whether he agreed, insisting “my team are working with his team the whole time.”

The PM also told BBC South East Trump was “not right about” European countries “going to hell” because of immigration levels.

“The External Action Service of the EU Parliament approved the findings and told us that these people are in fact directly connected to the RSF,” German independent MEP Lukas Sieper said. 

Despite the cancellation of the event in the European Parliament, Dogus arranged for it to take place at an alternate venue in Brussels, one person involved told POLITICO.

Dogus said the event was rearranged at short notice in the absence of any evidence of the pair’s RSF connection.

Dogus is a Labour councillor for the London borough of Lambeth and is well-known in London political circles as the organizer of the British Kebab Awards, an annual event attended by numerous prominent Westminster figures. 

Gamaal El Attar, executive director of the International Federation for Rights and Development (IFRD), a Belgium-based human rights group, described it as “deeply troubling” that the Labour Party conference could host figures associated with the RSF. 

“The RSF is directly implicated in genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity, and widespread gender-based violence,” he added. “Offering these individuals a platform risks whitewashing atrocities and undermines the Labour Party’s moral credibility.”