Friedrich Merz, the Christian Democratic Union party grandee, has warned that voters are drifting to the far-right AfD

German soldiers and police officers are drifting into the arms of the far-right, a senior politician in Angela Merkel’s party has warned as the country confronts a rise in extreme nationalism.

Friedrich Merz, a senior MP and grandee in the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), said parts of the army and police have been “lost” to the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD), in part because they felt let down by mainstream political parties.

Mr Merz said the “organs of state security” needed to act quickly to stop the spread of far-right ideas among soldiers and police officers.

“I have close relatives, many friends and acquaintances who are with the Bundeswehr and the federal police. They tell me how the mood is there, how many feel abandoned