Britain’s security services have intensified surveillance of Germany’s resurgent far-right movement, assessing it as an emerging threat to European stability. The development reflects growing concern in Whitehall that the Alternative for Germany’s rising popularity could embolden extremist networks and destabilise the EU’s largest economy.
According to senior government sources, MI5 and GCHQ have allocated additional resources to track far-right figures, analyse encrypted communications, and monitor cross-border funding. The move follows a classified assessment that the AfD’s radicalisation could provide a breeding ground for domestic terrorism and undermine EU unity on sanctions against Russia.
Germany’s domestic intelligence service, the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution, has classified parts of the AfD as a suspected extremist organisation. However, British officials believe the response has been insufficient. A Whitehall source described the AfD’s recent electoral gains as “deeply alarming”, noting that its firebrand rhetoric on immigration and national sovereignty echoes pre-war nationalist movements.
The collaboration between British and German agencies has expanded beyond counter-terrorism to include monitoring of far-right influencers and financiers. Britain’s National Cyber Security Centre has also reported a rise in disinformation campaigns linked to German far-right groups, often amplified by Russian state media.
Diplomats in London fear that a far-right government in Berlin could cripple European defence cooperation and weaken support for Ukraine. British officials have privately urged their German counterparts to take a harder line against extremist factions within the AfD. However, public interference would be politically sensitive, given accusations of British meddling in German affairs.
A spokesperson for the Home Office declined to comment on specific intelligence operations but stated that “the UK remains fully committed to working with our German partners to counter extremism of all kinds, which threatens our shared values and security.”
The surveillance programme has raised legal and ethical questions. Critics argue that monitoring a legitimate political party could be seen as a form of state overreach. Defenders counter that the AfD’s leadership has openly expressed extremist views, including calls for a “remigration” of immigrants and praise for Nazi-era figures.
Britain’s approach is part of a broader shift in European intelligence-sharing. Following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Western agencies have prioritised countering hybrid threats, with far-right groups often used as vectors for Russian influence operations. The UK has also increased cooperation with French and Polish services to track far-right networks across borders.
The situation is complicated by the UK’s own far-right landscape. Recent years have seen a decline in street-level extremism but a rise in online radicalisation. British officials acknowledge that their domestic vulnerabilities make international collaboration essential.
Analysts point out that the AfD’s success is not solely a German concern. Its ideology resonates across Europe, and its electoral victories have inspired far-right parties in other countries. A destabilised Germany, they warn, would have cascading effects on the entire European project.
A former British intelligence officer, speaking on condition of anonymity, said: “The far right is no longer a fringe nuisance. It is a strategic threat, particularly in Germany, where its influence could shape the EU’s trajectory for decades. We have a responsibility to understand and counter that threat, but we must do so without playing into their narrative of foreign interference.”
The government is expected to provide a closed-door briefing to the Intelligence and Security Committee later this month. No public statement is anticipated unless a specific threat materialises. For now, the surveillance continues, quietly and without fanfare, as British intelligence agencies navigate the delicate terrain of monitoring an ally’s political fringe.
