French PM Bayrou fights for survival as rivals refuse support in vote of confidence

French opposition parties have said they will not back Prime Minister François Bayrou after he called a vote of confidence on 8 September on plans for deep budget cuts.

Bayrou, who has led a minority government since last December, called the vote on Monday, warning France was facing a “worrying and therefore decisive moment”. “Yes, it’s risky, but it’s even riskier not to do anything”, he said, in the face of France’s mounting budget deficit.

From the National Rally on the right to the Socialists, Greens and France Unbowed on the left, opposition parties lined up to say they would vote against him.

Bayrou called the vote two days before protests have been called across France to “block everything”.

The Bloquons tout movement, which began on social media but has since been backed by the unions and far left, emerged after Bayrou announced plans in July for almost €44bn (£38bn) in budget cuts.

Reacting to news of the vote, France’s CAC-40 share index fell 1.59% on Monday and then a further 2% on Tuesday morning.

Finance Minister Eric Lombard said on Tuesday that “collectively we have to find a way to prepare a budget for recovery for 2026”.

Last year’s budget deficit hit 5.8% of France’s economic output (GDP) and Bayrou said France was in danger and parliament would be asked “to choose the path that allows us to escape from this curse [of indebtedness]”.

Bayrou was appointed prime minister by President Emmanuel Macron, after Michel Barnier’s government collapsed in a confidence vote on spending cuts last December.

The outlook for Bayrou and his fragile government looks bleak, because they do not have sufficient support in the National Assembly.

The leaders of the far-right National Rally party made clear immediately they would not vote for him. Its president, Jordan Bardella, said Bayrou had declared “the end of his government” and leader Marine Le Pen said only dissolving parliament would let France choose its destiny.

The Communists, Ecologists and radical-left France Unbowed all said they would vote against the government and then Socialist leader Olivier Faure appeared to seal Bayrou’s fate when he told Le Monde newspaper that “it’s unthinkable the Socialists will give François Bayrou a vote of confidence”.

“We’re not looking for chaos with the aim of speeding up the electoral calendar,” said Faure. “It is François Bayrou who is to blame for political instability by proposing a budget that no-one supports, not even his electorate.”

Unless Bayrou can change their minds, his chances of survival are low. The finance minister said there was room for negotiation but he was very firm on cutting the budget by €44bn.

Bayrou’s budget plans also include cutting two of France’s national holidays, so there may be some scope for the government to move on that.

Ministerial colleagues, who were given little notice on Monday of Bayrou’s decision to call a vote of confidence on 8 September, praised his move.

Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin told French TV on Tuesday that the prime minister’s move was “extremely courageous.. and very democratic”.

If the government does collapse, President Macron faces the choice of either leaving Bayrou in place as head of a caretaker government, naming another prime minister or calling new elections.

Bayrou made his announcement after visiting the president during his holiday at Fort Brégançon in the south of France, so Macron was fully briefed on the prime minister’s plans.

Macron himself has refused to resign, and his term is due to continue until 2027, however it was his decision to call snap elections in 2024 that left France with a minority government made up of centrists and right-wing Republicans.