Spokesperson says government in ‘fighting spirit’ after PM called confidence vote he is expected to lose
Emmanuel Macron has given his “full support” to France’s beleaguered prime minister, François Bayrou, who is expected to lose a confidence vote next month, which would be likely to cause the government to collapse.
Macron chaired a cabinet meeting on Wednesday as France faces a fresh political crisis. The government spokesperson, Sophie Primas, said after the meeting that Macron fully supported Bayrou and the government was in a “fighting spirit”.
Bayrou, a centrist and Macron ally, announced this week he would call a confidence vote for 8 September, seeking parliament’s support for his austerity measures to cut public spending and reduce public debt.
Opposition parties have said they will vote to oust Bayrou, who polls show is the least popular prime minister since 1958. Bayrou’s proposals for a €44bn budget squeeze, which include scrapping two public holidays and freezing most welfare spending, are widely unpopular.
