There is growing concern in the corridors of power in France that a fractious parliamentary debate over pension reform plans is playing into the hands of far-right leader Marine Le Pen, who is eyeing the 2027 presidential election, sources say.
Faced with a growing debt pile swollen further by the COVID pandemic, French President Emmanuel Macron is trying to push through changes he says are vital to plugging a projected deficit in the pension system and saving it from collapse.
