AfD breakthrough shatters Merz’s authority
Two German state elections on 20 September delivered a severe blow to Chancellor Friedrich Merz and his CDU. In Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania the AfD became the largest party with roughly 38%, more than doubling its previous share, while the CDU collapsed below 5% and exited the state parliament for the first time in its history. Merz called the result a “disaster.” In Berlin the Left Party took first place on a cost-of-living platform that included property expropriation proposals; the AfD rose to third on 16% and the BSW also gained, while the CDU fell sharply.
These contests followed the AfD’s earlier landslide in Saxony-Anhalt. The “firewall” against the AfD is expected to hold in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania thanks to SPD premier Manuela Schwesig’s personal popularity (SPD ~35%), likely producing a left-leaning coalition. Merz insisted his economic-reform programme remains the answer to “authoritarianism” and vowed to stay on. AfD leader Alice Weidel demanded he resign and urged the CDU to end the firewall, noting that CDU-AfD coalitions could already govern at state and federal level.
The results expose the fragility of Germany’s centrist consensus. Eastern voters continue shifting right amid migration and economic discontent, while Berlin’s left populism thrives on housing costs. The CDU’s preference for left partners over the AfD risks alienating its remaining base. Open questions include whether Merz can survive internal pressure, whether the firewall erodes under sustained AfD strength, and how far radicalisation on both flanks will hollow out the traditional parties.
Sources: UnHerd, Politico Europe coverage of results.
Labour’s work-from-home push risks youth jobs
On 21 September Spiked reported Labour’s plan, announced by Louise Haigh at the TUC, to make it significantly harder for employers to reject work-from-home requests. Employers would face mandatory face-to-face meetings and a requirement to give “justifiable reasons” for refusals, going beyond existing “reasonable consideration” rules. The move is popular—around 70% of Britons favour WFH flexibility—and welcomed by unions.
Background includes Labour’s earlier Employment Rights Act, minimum-wage and National Insurance rises that have already raised the cost of hiring a full-time minimum-wage worker by over £3,400 since 2024. August labour-market data showed employment down 26,000 and wage growth at a six-year low. Young workers are hit hardest: employers treat inexperienced hires as higher-risk liabilities amid expanded day-one rights and litigation fears. NEET rates remain elevated, with documented links to worse mental-health outcomes.
The tension is clear. Greater WFH flexibility may suit existing employees with family duties, yet it further raises the fixed costs and managerial friction of hiring, especially for junior roles that benefit from office presence and informal mentoring. Isolation risks for young city arrivals who lack social networks are under-discussed. Whether the policy reduces overall employment or simply shifts work patterns remains an open empirical question; critics argue Whitehall is again prioritising union demands over labour-market entry for the young.
Sources: Spiked, ONS labour data referenced therein.