Spain’s ruling party bars members hiring sex workers

Pedro Sanchez’s Socialist party issued the decree and reshuffled its leadership, as the PM faces his biggest crisis in seven years over a scandal involving alleged kickbacks and sex workers.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez reiterated his refusal to step down. Picture: AFP

Hit by a scandal involving alleged kickbacks and sex workers, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez’s party shook up its leader­ship on Saturday and banned members from paying for sex.

Sanchez, 53, is facing the biggest crisis of his seven years in power. That was heightened on Monday by the detention of a former top official in his Socialist party, Santos Cerdan, in a probe involving allegations of corruption and hiring sex workers.

In a bid to right the ship, the Socialist party announced “soliciting, accepting or obtaining sexual acts in exchange for money” was now banned for party members, punishable by “the maximum sanction, expulsion from the party”.

“If we believe a woman’s body is not for sale, our party cannot allow behaviour contrary to that,” Sanchez said. “These are difficult times for everyone, without a doubt,” he told party leaders at a meeting in Madrid, once again apologising for trusting those caught up in the growing scandal.

He also reiterated his refusal to step down. “The captain doesn’t look the other way when seas get rough. He stays to steer the ship through the storm,” he said.

A bus with an image of Pedro Sanchez with the word 'corrupted', drives past supporters of Spain's Prime Minister, in front of the Socialist party headquarters, in Madrid on July 5, 2025. Picture: AFP

The party also announced a leadership shake-up, replacing Cerdan as its No 3 official with 44-year-old lawyer Rebeca Torro.

The meeting started behind schedule after another close Sanchez ally, Francisco Salazar, who had been due to take on a top leadership post, resigned. Online news site eldiario.es said Salazar had been accused of “inappropriate behaviour” by women who had reported to him in the party.

Former transport minister Jose Luis Abalos has also been implicated in the investigation into kickbacks for public contracts.

The conservative opposition People’s Party held a meeting of its own, looking to capitalise on the Socialists’ stumbles.

“We’re the only alternative to this state of decline,” said PP leader Alberto Nunez Feijoo.

AFP