German politician calls for crackdown on use of English language in everyday life

A German politician has attacked the use of English language in Germany, calling for everyone in the country to speak the native tongue.

Junior finance minister Jens Spahn, who is seen as a potential successor to Angela Merkel, said that all immigrants should speak German rather than rely on English.

He said: “Co-existence can only work in Germany if we all speak German.

“We can and should expect this from every immigrant.”

Mr Spahn criticised foreign workers in Berlin for speaking English rather than German.

He added: “It drives me up the wall the way waiters in Berlin restaurants only speak English.

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“You would never find this kind of lunacy in Paris.”

Mr Spahn went on to attack the changing face of German culture in the wake of high levels of immigration into the country.

He said: “People want to be able to know what they can expect in every day life and that things aren’t changing all the time.

“Not every cultural difference is an enrichment. I have to accept the growing number of headscarfs on our streets, but I do not feel enriched by it.”

Over one million asylum seekers who have arrived in the country since 2015 must learn German is they wish to claim benefits and win permanent residence in the country.