German chancellor confirms vote of confidence date, giving path to 23 February election, as Friedrich Merz attempts to create distance between parties.   14:54 The leader of the far right Alternative für Deutschland party Alice Weidel has given an angry speech,

German conservative leader Friedrich Merz launched his election bid with a stinging attack on Chancellor Olaf Scholz, calling the Social Democrat a “lightweight” and accusing him of sowing division in Europe’s biggest economy.

Speaking to the public broadcaster ARD, Scholz acknowledged that an early vote was "no problem" for him and expressed his commitment to honoring any agreement made between his par