GETTY Theresa May has been urged to withdraw the UK from the EU as late as possible

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In September next year, there will be elections in Mecklenburg, Pomerania and Berlin, and in Spring in North Rhine Westphalia - a region with 18 million voters - and in the Autumn of 2017 there are national elections that could crown the Chancellor as the longest running leader in German history. However, the Eurosceptic, far right party Alternative for Deutschland, are heading for a successful outcome in the upcoming elections.

GETTY Sadiq Khan also wants Brexit to happen next year

The request to leave the EU must come from the UK and there is no time limit Angela Merkel

They have attracted votes because of the Chancellor’s soft stance on migrants and anger Germany contributes £22.4billion to the EU budget and the country gets back £9.9billion from European investments. Berlin is already the biggest contributor to the European Union and when London confirms it is leaving the bloc, there will be a huge £9.8billion to make up for.

GETTY Merkel is concerned about the far right political parties in Germany

Angela Merkel in pictures Tue, August 8, 2017 Angela Merkel has served as German Chancellor since 2005 and Leader of the Christian Democratic Union since 2000. We take a look at her political career in pictures. Play slideshow AFP/Getty Images 1 of 83 Angela Merkel through the years

According to reports in the Italian newspaper, La Stampa, Mrs Merkel wants to delay for as long as possible the fate of relations between London and the European bloc. The Italian newspaper claims Mrs Merkel wants the European Council to deal with the Brexit dossier because this creates delays. In a press conference with Mrs May, she said: “The request to leave the EU must come from the UK and there is no time limit. The drafting of the negotiation guidelines are decided by the Council.”

GETTY Many people in Germany are angry with Merkel over her stance on migrants

Yesterday, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Philip Hammond, vowed to support European projects in agriculture, science and infrastructure until 2020 even if the country were to withdraw from the EU before that date.