Pedro Sánchez, Spain’s prime minister, is fighting to remain in office as a judicial investigation into his wife’s business dealings threatens to topple his government. The crisis, which erupted after a Madrid court opened proceedings against Begoña Gómez for alleged corruption, has plunged Spanish politics into uncertainty and sharpened the contrast with Britain’s relative institutional stability.
Mr Sánchez stunned the nation on Wednesday by cancelling all public engagements and withdrawing to the Moncloa Palace to weigh his future. In a letter to citizens, he denounced what he called a “harassment campaign” orchestrated by right-wing media and opposition parties. The prime minister is expected to announce his decision on Monday, but sources close to his Socialist Party indicate he is resolved to remain and fight the allegations.
The scandal has exposed deep fractures in Spain’s political landscape. The opposition People’s Party and the far-right Vox have demanded his resignation, while his coalition partners in Sumar have rallied behind him. The probe centres on whether Ms Gómez used her husband’s office to secure sponsors for a master’s programme she ran. No charges have been filed, and Ms Gómez has denied any wrongdoing.
Spain’s predicament offers a stark counterpoint to the United Kingdom, where the resignation of a prime minister under a cloud of scandal has become a rare event. The last British premier to be forced out by an ethical controversy was David Cameron in 2016, and even then the issue was his failed EU referendum gamble rather than personal probity. More recent crises, such as the partygate scandal that brought down Boris Johnson, were resolved through established parliamentary mechanisms rather than existential threats to the state.
The contrast reflects deeper institutional differences. Britain’s unwritten constitution, with its strong conventions on ministerial responsibility, provides a clear exit route for compromised leaders. In Spain, the absence of a tradition of prime ministerial resignation over personal scandals leaves Mr Sánchez with few precedents to guide him. The country’s proportional electoral system also makes it harder to form stable governments, a factor that has contributed to four general elections in as many years.
European diplomats have watched the drama with concern. Spain is the fourth-largest economy in the eurozone and a key player in EU decision-making. A prolonged political crisis could hamper its ability to address pressing challenges, from inflation to the green transition. The European Commission has remained publicly neutral, but officials privately express unease at the volatility.
For Mr Sánchez, the calculation is brutally simple: step down and risk ceding power to a right-wing coalition that would reverse his progressive agenda, or stay and face a gruelling investigation that could cripple his administration. His decision will shape not only Spain’s future but the broader balance of power in Europe.
The United Kingdom, by contrast, looks on with a degree of detachment. The stability of its institutions, tested but intact through Brexit and the pandemic, offers a model that many in Brussels and national capitals envy. Yet the schadenfreude is tempered by awareness that no political system is immune to scandal. The lesson from Madrid is that the gap between institutional resilience and fragility can be narrower than it appears.
