If the Tories thought they were having trouble getting rid of Theresa May, they should spare a thought for the German CDU where Angela Merkel has just announced that she won’t be resigning as German Chancellor after all. Heiliger Strohsack!

Merkel has reportedly decided that her chosen successor Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, abbreviated to slightly dubious acronym ‘AKK’, is not up to the job after watching her popularity slide since she took over leadership of the CDU. AKK led the CDU to its worst ever performance in the EU elections, which people actually care about in Germany. Merkel now wants to hang on at least until 2021. As long as Theresa May doesn’t get any ideas…

The CDU has elected Merkel’s favoured candidate, Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, to be its new leader. This puts ‘AKK’, widely seen as the continuity candidate, in pole position to succeed Merkel when she finally steps down as Chancellor in 2021, if not before. Will the Brexit negotiations still be going on then?