Macron names ally Sébastien Lecornu as new French PM

Sébastien Lecornu, a close ally of President Emmanuel Macron, has been named the new French prime minister, 24 hours after François Bayrou was ousted as head of his government in a confidence vote.

Lecornu, 39, was one of the front-runners for the position, having served as armed forces minister for the past three years, focusing on France’s response to Russia’s war in Ukraine.

According to a statement from the Elysée Palace, he has been tasked with consulting with political parties in order to adopt France’s next budget.

Pushing through a budget as head of a minority government brought down Bayrou, and left and far-right critics have already gathered to condemn Lecornu’s appointment.

Jean-Luc Mélenchon of the radical left France Unbowed was unimpressed, complaining that nothing had changed and it was time for Macron’s departure from the presidency.

There had been suggestions that Macron might try to approach the centre left to broaden his minority government, and Olivier Faure of the Socialists had offered his services the night before.

It soon became clear that Faure would not be getting the call: “I slept pretty soundly so I didn’t hear the phone ring.”

On the far right, Marine Le Pen said the president was firing “the final cartridge of Macronism, from his bunker along with his little circle of loyalists”.

France has had a hung parliament since Macron surprised his country by calling snap national elections last year, after a poor performance in the June 2024 European vote. There are broadly three main political blocs: the left, far right and the centre.