The Bavarian election results are a glimpse of Europe’s future

Analysis: Pandering to populism won't always work for conservatives, argues Europe correspondent Jon Stone

Leaders of the German Green party (Die Gruenen), Henrike Hahn, Robert Habeck and Anton Hofreiter react after to the first exit polls in the Bavarian state elections in Munich (Reuters)

For some time now, the narrative of German politics has been the rise of the far-right AfD: from nowhere to a minor but significant party. While the AfD haven’t gone away, Sunday’s Bavarian elections show that the story is more complicated.

The main way conservatives across Europe have reacted to the rise of right-wing populism has been to steal its clothes. If this is what voters want, then they can have it, the centre right has said. And they can get it from us.

Britain is the best successful example of this strategy, where Theresa May’s Tories have eaten Ukip by embracing Brexit, lambasting “citizens of nowhere” and swelling their poll share to one they have not enjoyed for decades.