Far-right AfD wins German state election, first since war

Germany's far-right Alternative für Deutschland has won a state election for the first time, prompting warnings the result could foreshadow political shifts in Britain. The AfD victory in a German state marks the first far-right electoral win in the country since the Second World War ended in Europe.

The Mirror reports British far-right groups are claiming "this will happen in the UK too", while a Labour minister has labelled Reform UK "far right" and drawn comparisons to the AfD. The Independent describes the result as threatening to "upend German politics". The BBC reports the AfD is now demanding mainstream parties work with them, arguing "democracy demands" it.

The machinery here is worth watching. When a party wins democratically but carries historical baggage, the established parties face a trap: refuse cooperation and confirm the insurgent's claim that democracy is managed; engage and legitimise what they spent years calling illegitimate. Germany's postwar political consensus was built on a cordon sanitaire - mainstream parties would work with anyone except the far right. That line held for decades. It has now been tested by the ballot box in a way it has not been since the Federal Republic was founded.

Reform UK has issued a statement about security concerns following what GB News describes as a lapse that "could easily have been a bomb". The Daily Express urges readers to "give them a chance to change Britain for good".

What to watch: whether any mainstream German party breaks the cordon and enters coalition talks with the AfD. The precedent, if set, travels.