Four leaders rush to Merkel’s door in ONE DAY: Mother Merkel returns as GATEKEEPER of EU

Mrs Merkel was captured grinning at a joint press conference with Theresa May as she boasted being back on the world stage as Chancellor after breaking months of political deadlock by finally forming a coalition.

The German Chancellor’s return to the international political theatre saw world leaders flock to her doorstep. 

Within 24 hours Ms Merkel would have formally met Turkish prime minister Binali Yıldırım, Polish prime minister Mateusz Morawiecki, British Prime Minister Theresa May and Italian prime minister Paolo Gentiloni.

Asked if she was trying to make a mark after a period of absence, Mrs Merkel said: “When you’re in coalition agreements and things push ahead then obviously you cannot host a foreign guest.”

Mrs Merkel met with Mrs May today in a long-awaited showdown to iron out tensions ahead of the upcoming phase two of the Brexit negotiations.

The pair met as Mrs May is yet to lay out a clear direction she wants Britain to outline as the future relationship with the UK and the European Union after Brexit.

Mrs Merkel said she was not frustrated by the lack of information from the UK about Brexit but was “curious” as to what it wanted.

Mrs May said “we will be saying something in the coming weeks” about the future economic partnership but insisted “it isn’t just a one-way street”.

“I want a future economic partnership that is good for the EU, good for Germany, good for the other remaining members of the EU and is good for the UK.”

Mrs Merkel said: “I’m not frustrated at all. I’m just curious how Britain envisages this future partnership and obviously we also have our own vested interests as regards, for example, economic commitments.

“We would like to preserve this close partnership and maybe both sides, in a way, are in a process of learning and trying to find out where we find common ground.”

Ms Merkel urged Mrs May to offer “concrete” plans for for what Britain wants from an exit from the EU.

Angela Merkel’s spokesman said: “It is important for us for Britain to make concrete its ideas.”