Olaf Scholz delivers plea for German unity ahead of confidence vote

Chancellor makes fiery appeal in parliament for opposition support for the good of the country'

The German chancellor, Olaf Scholz, has defended his decision to oust his finance minister, which has led to the break up of his government, arguing that the survival of the alliance would have come at the expense of national stability and international security.

Scholz used his first speech to parliament since his traffic light coalition" lost its majority to plead for national cohesion. He called on opposition parties to support his minority government in the months before early elections to prevent Germany from becoming as polarised as the US.