Outgoing French PM says ‘there is desire’ to agree budget and talks down prospect of snap election – as it happened

From 8 Oct 2025Afternoon summaryHere is a summary of the events that have occurred so far today:

France’s caretaker prime minister, Sébastien Lecornu, has said his talks with various party leaders had revealed a “willingness” to pass a budget by the end of the year and that snap parliamentary elections were now looking less likely. “This willingness creates a momentum and a convergence, obviously, which make the possibilities of a dissolution more remote,” he said in a brief address on Wednesday from the courtyard of Matignon Palace, the prime minister’s residence, in Paris.

Lecornu clarified on Wednesday that outgoing ministers from his government would not be entitled to compensation. The resigning prime minister noted in his speech that the topic of compensation for such ministers had upset “a certain number of French people”.

The outgoing prime minister also noted ongoing efforts to establish New Caledonia as a new state, but said political tensions in the country had halted the process. New Caledonia is an overseas territory that was rocked by deadly separatist violence last year. The territory, home to about 270,000 people, has faced a deadlock between forces loyal to France and those wanting independence.