AfD wins German state election as British minister calls Reform 'far right'

Germany's Alternative für Deutschland won a state election, prompting the party to say "democracy demands" other parties work with them. The BBC and Independent report the result as the AfD's first such victory.

The Mirror reports a British minister has labelled Reform UK "far right" and drawn comparisons to the AfD. The Guardian's editorial warns the far right's real weapon is "the politics of powerlessness". The Express urges readers to give Reform a chance to "change Britain for good".

The label "far right" is doing heavy political work here. It sorts parties into a category the system may refuse to touch, regardless of their vote share. When a minister uses it for a domestic rival while a German party with that label wins an election, the term's function shifts from description to exclusion. The question is not whether the label fits, but whether it still performs the task it was designed for - keeping certain politics outside the room.

What to watch: whether German regional parties break the cordon and work with the AfD, and whether the British debate over Reform's label affects its polling or its treatment by other parties.