The German Chancellor Angela Merkel bows out of politics later this year after 16 years at the head of the German government. She seems likely to be replaced by one of two people; the man Merkel’s party, the CDU, has designated as her successor, Armin Laschet; or the relative political novice, Annalena Baerbock, from the Greens, a party with its origins in the environmental movement. Most commentators agree that however the cards fall after the September election the Greens will be in government, whether at the head of a coalition or as its junior partner. David Aaronovitch asks how the Greens have gained ground so dramatically in such a short time and what a Green German government might mean for Britain.

Producers: Tim Mansel, Paul Connolly, Kirsteen Knight

The German flag flying in front of the Reichstag, home of the German parliament (Bundestag), Berlin, Germany. Credit BBC.