Angela Merkel on Monday made a public apology as her government reversed a decision to promote a controversial intelligence chief despite allegations he had interfered in politics.

Hans-Georg Maassen is to be removed as head of Germany’s BfV domestic intelligence service after he publicly contradicted the chancellor over far-Right riots in Chemnitz last month.

His removal split Mrs Merkel’s coalition and he was due to be promosted to a more senior role in the interior ministry as a compromise to keep the fraying alliance together.

But there was considerable public anger at a move that appeared to reward Mr Maassen and Mrs Merkel and her coalition allies agreed to drop it at crisis talks on Sunday night.

“I was too focused on keeping the interior ministry functioning and not enough on what people rightly feel when they hear of a promotion,” Mrs Merkel said on Monday. “I very much regret that this was allowed to happen.