Marine Le Pen turns screws on PM Michel Barnier

French Prime Minister Michel Barnier's government makes budget concession
French Prime Minister Michel Barnier scrapped plans to raise electricity taxes amid the far-right's no-confidence vote threat.
Barnier promises concessions on budget to try save French government
The French government is prepared to “make concessions” to get its budget though parliament and avoid a market “storm”, the country’s finance minister said on Thursday, in a stand-off that risks bringing down Michel Barnier,
Marine Le Pen turns screws on PM Michel Barnier in French budget showdown
“The clock is ticking,” was one of Michel Barnier’s favourite lines as the EU’s chief Brexit negotiator, when he perfected the art of using deadlines to strengthen his hand. Now, as France’s prime minister, he is the one running out of time.
French government creaks as Barnier's budget woes weaken survival chances
The future for French Prime Minister Michel Barnier's government looks bleak, with his struggles to push the 2025 budget through a polarised parliament increasingly likely to end in the toppling of his fragile coalition.
French budget: S&P encourages Barnier to stick with his austerity plan
On Friday, the world's leading credit rating agency kept France's credit rating unchanged, but expressed concern about the 'considerable risk' that the government's planned cost-cutting measures will not materialize.
Le Pen Makes More Budget Demands as Barnier Gives Ground
Marine Le Pen’s National Rally set out further demands for changes to the French government’s 2025 budget bill after Prime Minister Michel Barnier dropped plans to raise taxes on electricity in a key concession.
French Socialists reject Barnier’s overtures, raising odds of a government collapse
French MPs have spent weeks debating the Barnier government’s hastily prepared budget, which includes €40 billion in spending cuts and €20 billion in tax hikes. The bill aims to reduce the French budget deficit, which is projected to hit 6.1 percent of gross domestic product in 2024.
Opinion
The threat of a no-confidence vote for the Barnier government is coercion by Marine Le Pen
EDITORIAL. It's not a negotiation but a form of coercion for recognition that the president of the far-right Rassemblement National parliamentary group has undertaken. She's exploiting the impasse in which Michel Barnier finds himself.
French finance minister says budget can still be improved
French Finance Minister Antoine Armand said on Saturday that the 2025 budget could still be improved, but stopped short of giving ground in a standoff with the far right over new concessions. Ratings
France’s Le Pen Makes Budget Demands as Barnier Gives Ground
Marine Le Pen’s National Rally set out further demands for changes to the French government’s 2025 budget bill after Prime Minister Michel Barnier dropped plans to raise taxes on electricity in a key concession.
France’s Le Pen Boosts Budget Asks Ahead of Monday Deadline
Far-right leader Marine Le Pen, who holds outsize leverage in France’s split parliament, gave Prime Minister Michel Barnier until Monday to adhere to her budget red lines before she decides whether to topple the government.
Facing far-right ultimatum, French finance minister says budget can still be improved
By Leigh Thomas PARIS (Reuters) -French Finance Minister Antoine Armand said on Saturday that the 2025 budget could still be ...
S&P Sticks With France Rating in Reprieve for Prime Minister
French Prime Minister Michel Barnier won a minor reprieve in his battle to pass a budget and remain in power as S&P Global ...
Barnier promises concessions on budget to try to save French government
The French government is prepared to “make concessions” to get its budget though parliament and avoid a market “storm”, the ...