The co-leader of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) has described the United Kingdom’s referendum to leave the European Union, known as Brexit, as a potential model for Germany.

The AfD’s Alice Weidel told the Financial Times newspaper that she would be in favour of a referendum on Germany’s EU membership if the far-right party can’t force through major changes to EU rules.

Weidel, who has been co-leader of the AfD since 2022, said a future AfD government in Germany would seek to reform the EU and remove its “democratic deficit,” including by curbing the powers of the European Commission, which she derided as an “unelected executive.”

“But if a reform isn’t possible, if we fail to rebuild the sovereignty of the EU member states, we should let the people decide, just as Britain did,” Weidel told the newspaper. “And we could have a referendum on ‘Dexit’ — a German exit from the EU.”

Polls have consistently shown a large majority of German voters support the European Union and have little interest in quitting the bloc. Britain left the European Union after a 2016 referendum.