Apart from the judicial proceedings, the opposition People’s Party (PP) has threatened to call Ms Gómez to testify before a parliamentary commission investigating corruption.

Ms Gómez has been accused of influence-peddling after a private university study centre she ran was sponsored by a conglomerate whose airline subsidiary received emergency funds during the pandemic. She also signed documents in support of a consortium seeking to win government contracts for work-training schemes. Ms Gomez has been contacted for comment.

Mr Sánchez said he needed time alone with his wife to reflect on whether his job remained “worth it” in the face of what he described as a Right-wing plot to attack his leadership.

In an emotional tone, Mr Sánchez said he was “a man deeply in love” with his wife, who he said is the victim of “unprecedented slander and harassment from the Right and far-Right”.

Emotions continued to run high as thousands of government supporters thronged the streets outside Mr Sánchez’s Socialist Party headquarters in Madrid on Saturday, pleading for the prime minister to stay on.

“Pedro, you’re not alone,” chanted many of the 12,500 people in the street as inside, Socialist chiefs from around Spain met without Mr Sánchez present.

“Prime minister, we are with you to show our love and gratitude”, said María Jesús Montero, deputy prime minister, finance minister and a likely candidate to take over if Mr Sánchez decides to walk away.