France govt collapse: Defence minister Sebastien Lecornu named as PM; Bayrou ousted after losing confidence vote

France’s President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday evening named defence minister Sebastien Lecornu as the country’s next prime minister, following the ousting of Francois Bayrou.Bayrou lost his position after failing a confidence vote in parliament on Monday.

The vote followed his unprecedented call for a confidence motion over his controversial 2026 budget plan.At the heart of the showdown were France’s fragile public finances. Last year’s deficit reached 5.8% of GDP, nearly double the EU ceiling of 3%, while national debt now stands at more than 3.3 trillion euros, roughly 114% of economic output.Bayrou has argued that drastic cuts are unavoidable, putting forward a plan to slash 44 billion euros in spending by 2026, partly by scrapping two public holidays.Bayrou had been appointed less than a year ago, after conservative politician and former Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier was ousted. Lecornu, who had already been tipped for the position last year, will now succeed him as prime minister.