The talks on Wednesday morning will focus on the political crisis in Ukraine and the issues facing the global economy.

Number 10 said the visit was timed to coincide with Germany’s hositng of the G7 group of developed nations in Bavaria in June.

Diplomats are pushing for a press conference which could expose tensions publicly over Mr Cameron’s attempt to try limit immigration from within the European Union.

In October the German Chancellor reportedly told Mr Cameron that he was approaching a “point of no return” with the EU over a proposal to limit the migrant intake from other member states.

A much vaunted speech by Mr Cameron on immigration in November stopped short of calling for a cap on new arrivals.

Mr Cameron has promised to hold an in-or-out referendum on Britain's EU membership by the end of 2017 if the Tories win May’s general election.

Mrs Merkel also plans to visit an exhibition at the British Museum in London which traces 600 years of German history until the 1989 fall of the Berlin Wall.

Mrs Merkel last visited London in February last year when she addressed MPs and

Lords in a rare speech in the Palace of Westminster's 100-feet long Royal Gallery.

The Telegraph