A dramatic rise in support for the German Green Party has put it within touching distance of Angela Merkel’s Christian Democrats (CDU), according to a new poll.

If Germany held an election tomorrow, the Greens would come second with 23 per cent, just three points behind Mrs Merkel’s party, according to the poll for ARD television.

The surge in support for the Greens is part of a wider upheaval in German politics that threatens to end the dominance of the two main parties.

The CDU’s support has dropped seven points since last year’s election, while their traditional rivals, the centre-Left Social Democrats (SPD), were reduced to joint third place on just 14 per cent.

The SPD were tied with the populist Alternative for Germany party (AfD), whose support has slipped somewhat in recent months.

If the current figures played out in an election, they would amount to an earthquake in German politics.