Hello and welcome to NewsA. from the BBC World Service. We're coming to you live from London. I'm James Menendez. And we're going to start today in Germany.

The sound of protesters in Berlin last night chanting everyone against fascism.

And that's because today, members of the German Parliament are debating a new law,

tightening the rules on immigration.

Legislation tabled by the main opposition conservatives, the CDU,

that can only pass with the support of the far-right

alternative for Germany party. Other parties and, indeed, some in the CDU, say that would

shatter what's become known as the firewall, the understanding in place since the end of the

Second World War that the main party shouldn't do business with the far right. But there are elections next month,

and polls suggest immigration is the top worry for voters.

While an MP for Germany's ruling centre left, Social Democrats,

Jan Zimmerman told the BBC that the leader of the CDU,

Friedrich Merz, was employing a dangerous strategy.

Without any need, he is now, Friedrich Merz, was employing a dangerous strategy.

Without any need, he is now Friedrich Merz trying to make this election about migration.

And again, making elections about migration is always supporting the populist and the far right. So I think this will be a historic mistake for the Conservative Party here in Germany.

Well, live to Berlin to talk to our correspondent, Damien McGuinness. And Damien, I'm just looking

up at my monitors here, the scene from the Bundestag, that debate going on. But it took a while

to get going. What was the holdup? Yeah, we've had a dramatic day here in Berlin, James, and the holdup was really

because the debate was put on pause as parties gathered together to try and figure out

what to do. So you had two things happening. Party leaders were trying to get their MPs

on side because the Conservatives have seen a bit of a rebellion. Some centrist

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