RISING concerns about immigration across Europe will be one of the topics Angela Merkel will discuss with David Cameron when she visits Britain today (wed).

The German Chancellor will be in London primarily to talk about the main themes of Germany's forthcoming presidency of the G7 with the global economy at the heart of the talks.

But the No 10 discussions were last night under threat of being overshadowed by a political spat with Labour complaining to the Foreign Office that Ed Miliband had not, as was usual, been informed by it of Mrs Merkel's official visit. The Labour leader's office appeared irritated to have been told, instead, by the media.

A party spokesman noted: "We will let Chancellor Merkel explain to David Cameron how damaging it is for Britain to be dragged closer to the EU exit door by the Conservatives' actions."

Downing Street said while the economy would be front and centre in the Prime Minister's talks other subjects would be on the agenda too with "opportunities to discuss EU reform", covering such issues as work, welfare and migration.

This week, Dresden saw the largest in a series of regular rallies when 18,000 people turned out to protest against the Islamisation of the West.

Immigration in Germany, mainly from the Middle East, is at a 20-year high; last year it was up fourfold on 2012 to 200,000.

The rally was organised by Pegida or Patriotic Europeans Against the Islamisation of the West.

Other protests took place in Cologne, Hamburg and Stuttgart. One pro-Pergida poster called for "potatoes rather than doner kebabs"; a swipe at ethnic Turks, who, at around 3m, represent Germany's largest immigrant community.

But there were counter-protests too.

Cologne, home to a large Muslim population, had 10 times as many counter-demonstrators as those from Pegida. In similarly multi-ethnic Berlin, some 5000 counter-demonstrators swamped around 400 anti-Muslim protesters, local police said.

Cologne Cathedral and Berlin's Brandenburg Gate switched off their lights to protest against the Pegida rallies.

Yesterday, top-selling German tabloid Bild and 50 prominent Germans, including ex-Chancellor Helmut Schmidt and retired footballer Oliver Bierhoff, called for an end to what they regard as rising xenophobia.

Mrs Merkel has urged Germans to shun the anti-Muslim protesters, saying their hearts are full of hatred and arguing that hostility towards foreigners has no place in Germany.

Meantime, as deflation threatens parts of Europe, the economy of the eurozone is likely to be raised in the No 10 bilateral; particularly, the future of Greece.

Later this month, Greeks will go to the polls in an election that could bring to power the hard-left Syriza party, which wants to relax austerity.

Analysts have suggested Greece leaving the eurozone is no longer unthinkable but while Mrs Merkel wants the beleaguered country to remain in it, her desire does not come at any price; the Chancellor does not want to grant further debt relief or other economic concessions, which could burden German taxpayers with extra costs.

In a lighter mood, Mrs Merkel will later today visit the British Museum in London with Mr Cameron to see the Germany: Memories of a Nation exhibition, which looks back at the history of her home country in the context of the fall of the Berlin Wall.

This evening, the Chancellor and the Prime Minister will hold a press conference before having dinner at No 10.