Overview

• François Bayrou set a Sept. 8 confidence vote to seek parliamentary endorsement for spending cuts aimed at reducing France’s public debt.
• The budget squeeze totals €44bn and includes proposals to scrap two public holidays and freeze most welfare spending.
• Emmanuel Macron chaired a cabinet meeting and voiced full support for Bayrou, urging parties to act responsibly on public finances.
• France’s National Assembly remains split among left, far right and centrists, and polls show Bayrou deeply unpopular as a nationwide protest day is planned for Sept. 10.
• If the government falls, Macron must either appoint a new prime minister or consider another snap election, and the outgoing cabinet would continue in a caretaker role with existing policies, including small-boats cooperation with the UK, remaining in force.