Merkel on brink: Insider warns Chancellor could cost her party power – 'We're in CRISIS!'

This is the bleak warning from Felix Schoenherr of the Werte Union – a group within Ms Merkel's Christian Democratic Union of Germany (CDU) party which has been critical of her leadership.

He points to the party's election woes in recent years and claims there is a real risk the CDU could lose its stronghold on German politics. When asked whether there was a risk that the

party could no longer be in charge in Germany, Mr Schoenherr told Express.co.uk: "Yes. I think so."

He added: "Look at the results. In Hamburg we had 47 percent 15 years ago, now it is just 11 percent.

"You just have to compare the results from before Merkel stepped in and now. I think there is some responsibility there of course.

"There has also been a decline of party members – in any football club, if you have a coach with results like that you throw them out.

"We are in a deep crisis for the party which has to be resolved quickly."

In the country's 2013 Federal Elections, the Alternative for Germany (AfD), having just been founded, won 810,000 votes winning no seats.

But in the next vote four years later, the party boosted its share to over five million votes, a rise bigger than Ukip’s between 2010 and 2015.

In last year's state elections, Mrs Merkel's party also suffered a huge blow in the Thuringia region – where her CDU party usually dominates.

This time they finished third, behind the AfD in second as Die Linke (The Left) claimed a surprise victory.

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Chancellor Merkel has vowed to step down in 2021, sparking a tense leadership race in which a leading candidate to replace her is an old rival.

Friedrich Merz – a conservative businessman – was effectively ousted from the party by Ms Merkel in 2002 when he lost the leadership race for the party.

In 2009 he left politics, but has returned to once again challenge for the chancellery.

Mr Schoenherr says that many within the Werte Union prefer Mr Merz.

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He said: “We don’t have an official endorsement, but many members of the Werte Union favour Merz. He is very popular among the party’s base.

“The position that Merz proposes, it is true that he may shift the party to the right, he has some very different opinions to Merkel in terms of immigration and energy.

“The ironic thing about this is that what Merz represents is the CDU of the early 2000’s, he represents the party from 20 years ago before Merkel.”

Mr Schoenherr claims that Mr Merz will likely undo a lot of Ms Merkel's work, and could change the face of German politics.

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