Germany's Social Democrats (SPD) said on Wednesday they had agreed to start talks on a possible coalition with Friedrich Merz's conservatives but stressed their support was not automatic and hit out at his negotiating style.

Germany's Social Democratic Party faces a lack of leadership following its defeat on February 23, having garnered only 16.5% of the vote, its worst score since 1945.

Germany’s chancellor-in-waiting Friedrich Merz has opened talks with the Social Democrats over ways to quickly ramp up defense spending before they’ve completed a formal coalition deal, according to people familiar with those discussions.