Germany’s fragile government has collapsed after Olaf Scholz, the Chancellor, fired his finance minister on Wednesday evening.

Mr Scholz sacked Christian Lindner after days of crisis talks and amid a deluge of rumours that his turbulent coalition was about to come to an end.

According to initial reports, the country could go to the polls in March, six months ahead of schedule.

Mr Lindner, the head of the liberal Free Democrats, had been planning to resign himself and draw all his party’s ministers out of the government amid a row over how to turn the country’s ailing economic fortunes around.