Angela Merkel 'will QUIT as German chancellor when her current term ends in 2021' after stepping down as party leader in December

Angela Merkel will stand down as German Chancellor when her current term comes to an end in 2021, a source inside her CDU party has said.

Merkel, who has held the office since 2005, will leave the post as her party haemorrhages support in the wake of her handling of the migrant crisis.

The move comes just hours after she announced she will not seek reelection as leader of the Christian Democrats in December, having held that post since 2000.

Merkel has also ruled out running for a senior EU position in the future, party sources added, meaning her political career is coming to an end after more than a decade at the top of German politics.