We will use your email address only for sending you newsletters. Please see our Privacy Notice for details of your data protection rights.

Senior members of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party have stressed they will not be convinced to alter their stance on immigration after the party lost swathes of votes to the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) at the general election in September.

Mrs Merkel has so far failed to form a coalition government after the first round of talks collapsed at the end of 2017, but the SPD voted to reopen negotiations in a very tight vote on Sunday signalling the potential return of the grand coalition.

The SPD got its worst election result in the postwar era in September and many fear a further fall in votes, particularly because of the party’s notably more migrant-friendly approach when compared to the other main parties in German politics.

CDU deputy Julia Kloeckner said the benchmark of 180,000 to 220,000 refugees per year outlined in a coalition blueprint agreed between the parties after exploratory talks earlier this month was crucial.