Michel Barnier proposes new government after months of French political deadlock

Macron’s loyalists scoop up many of the remaining posts after Republicans land interior ministry top spot

France’s new prime minister finally submitted a new government to Emmanuel Macron Thursday with the top post of interior ministry going to the Right-wing Republicans party.
The French president’s loyalists picked up many of the remaining positions in a move that enraged the opposition Left-wing alliance that came first in July snap elections.
According to French reports, Michel Barnier – the EU’s former chief Brexit negotiator and himself a Right-winger – proposed Bruno Retailleau, the Republicans senatorial chief, as interior minister.
But Laurent Wauquiez, the Republicans chief, said he had turned down the powerful post of finance minister left vacant by Bruno Le Maire who had occupied the position since Mr Macron came to power in 2017. It was unclear who would get the post on Thursday.
Fellow Republicans party members Annie Genevard and François-Noël Buffet are taking the agriculture and overseas ministries.
Macroniste outgoing Europe minister Jean-Noël Barrot was reportedly set to be promoted to foreign minister after the French president proposed his ephemeral predecessor Stéphane Séjourné to become France’s new EU commissioner.
Sébastien Lecornu, who is believed to enjoy a close relationship with Macron, is said to be staying on as defence minister.
France has been gripped by political deadlock, through the Olympic Games and beyond, since the surprise legislative ballot left it with a hung parliament. It left three main blocs in parliament on the Left, centre and nationalist Right with none in a position to command a workable majority.
Mr Macron rejected the Left-wing alliance’s proposed candidate for prime minister, Lucie Castets.
He finally ended the legislative limbo two weeks ago by appointing Mr Barnier to seek to cobble together a government after Marine Le Pen’s National Rally said it would not automatically veto his policies.
Mr Barnier’s efforts were reportedly at risk of foundering this week after outgoing prime minister Gabriel Attal said they would refuse to take part should his successor go ahead with his reported aim of raising taxes to tackle budget shortfalls.
But the 73-year-old Gaullist ex-EU Commissioner made it plain on Thursday that there would be no tax rises for the “middle classes and the working French”.
Mr Barnier told Right-wing and centrist groups at a meeting on Thursday afternoon that he was pondering a line-up of 16 main ministers including both their political families.
Gabriel Attal, his predecessor and now leader in parliament of Mr Macron’s Renaissance party, was at the meeting and told allies that the list included 10 names from their centrist alliance.
A conservative politician, wishing to remain anonymous, told AFP the French president had stressed Mr Barnier could not give two top portfolios – such as the finance and interior posts – to Right-wing figures, irritating the prime minister.
Mr Barnier has reportedly struggled to get a Left-wing name on board.
Manuel Bompard, the head of France Unbowed, the party whose figurehead is Leftist firebrand Jean-Luc Mélenchon, slammed the reported new government line-up as made up of “all the losers from the last elections”.
He called for demonstrations on Saturday “against the biggest scam of the Fifth Republic”.
Meanwhile, Aurélien Rousseau, an MP for the New Popular Front alliance quipped: “What would it have be like if the Right had won the elections?”
It was not immediately clear when the full list would be officially announced to the public, although early Friday appeared likely.
The list is a government “ready to act in the service of the French people”, the premier’s office said.
It said the immediate aims would be to “improve French people’s standard of living, “guarantee security and control immigration”, “enhance France’s economic attractiveness”, “rein in public finances” and “reduce the ecological debt”.
Mr Macron could seek to veto Mr Barnier’s proposals but doing so would cause major tensions with his premier at this stage.
The new government came amid reports that François Hollande, the former Socialist French president, planned to run for re-election in 2027.
On Thursday, Mr Hollande said if Mr Macron was unable to form a new government by this weekend it would be “serious for the country”.