Nightmare for Macron as French government collapses

Francois Bayrou has been voted out by French MPs (Image: Getty)

The French government has collapsed as MPs have voted to oust Prime Minister Francois Bayrou. France's National Assembly has voted by 364 votes to 194 to oust him from office and bring down his minority government. Another 25 MPs abstained.

The prime minister now has to present Emmanuel Macron with the resignation of his government. Current reports are that he will do tomorrow morning.

Macron can now either pick a new prime minister, a processs that took several weeks last year. He could also call a new parliamentary election, which could potentially strengthen  Marine Le Pen's far right National Rally. He also has the option of calling a presidential election, in which he would not be able to run, as his second term is set to end in 2027. 

Macron is likely going to appoint a new prime minister, which would be the fifth since July 2024. However, a new prime minister would face the same difficulties with an intractable parliament. From Macron's past statements, it looks unlikely that he would resign. 

At 74, Bayrou became the fourth prime minister to serve under President Emmanuel Macron in just two years, a period marked by persistent political turmoil. His minority government, which had proposed €44bn (£38bn) in spending cuts to tackle France's growing public debt, has now effectively collapsed.

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