Germany’s CDU leader is willing to step down after election defeat

Armin Laschet intends to oversee search for candidate to unite fractious centre-right party

The leader of Germany's Christian Democratic Union (CDU) has signalled he is prepared to step down after his party's historic defeat at last month's federal elections, but intends to oversee the search for a candidate to unite the fractious centre-right.

Armin Laschet, Angela Merkel's designated successor who ended up leading the party to its worst result in postwar history, said at a press conference on Thursday evening the time had come to renew the personnel at the front of his party.