Germany’s political system is set up to exclude extremists. Yet the country is waking up to a new political reality that has lurched to the right with the once outcast Alternative for Germany (AfD) party now firmly established in German politics.

The German elections have taken place and the Bundestag is looking a lot more right-wing than it was this time yesterday. The centre-right CDU (Christian Democratic Union) led by Friedrich Merz will take power having won just over 28pc of the vote.

There is a determination among all of Germany's main parties to keep that block in place - and the German public backs them up: 69% see the AfD as a threat to democracy, according