France's president, Emmanuel Macron, has appointed Gabriel Attal as France's youngest ever prime minister as he seeks to head off a Far Right challenge in European elections.
The attempt to reboot his presidency will not necessarily lead to any major political shift. But it signals a desire for Mr Macron to try to move beyond last year's unpopular pension and immigration reforms by focusing on new priorities, including reaching full employment.
The new prime minister will also be tasked with trying to improve Mr Macron's centrist party's chances in the June EU elections.
Opinion polls show it trailing Far Right leader Marie Le Pen by around eight to 10 percentage points.
Education minister Mr Attal, a close Macron ally who became a household name after being appointed government spokesman during the Covid pandemic, was widely cited by political sources and French media as a strong favourite to replace Élisabeth Borne.
But what do we know about France's new leader?
Who is Gabriel Attal?
Mr Attal at 34 became France's youngest ever prime minister this week, and the first to be openly gay.
He is the son of the late Yves Attal, a lawyer and film producer, who died in 2015, and Marie de Couriss, and he grew up in Paris with his three younger sisters.
He was educated at the École Alsacienne, a private school of choice for high-profile parents in politics and the arts in Paris, and was brought up as a staunch Orthodox Jew. He later attended the prestigious Sciences Po University and obtained a masters in public affairs.
According to reports, his political ambition was sparked when he attended a demonstration against Marie Le Pen – who he will now take on in the polls – when the Far-Right leader was voted into the second round presidential runoff against Jacques Chirac in 2002. He joined the Socialist party in 2006 and supported its presidential candidate, Ségolène Royal, in the 2007 election.
What did he do before becoming prime minister?
In just over a decade, Gabriel Attal has risen from being a work experience recruit in the health ministry in 2012 to being French prime minister. During this time he worked in the office of the then health minister Marisol Touraine, the mother of one of his classmates, and impressed senior figures, which led to a full-time job in the ministry at the age of 23.
As a member of France's Socialist party, he was appointed as a junior finance minister and in 2016 he left the Socialist party to join Mr Macron’s nascent centrist political party En Marche, which later became La République En Marche (LREM).
He was then promoted to education minister in 2023, making a name for himself as one of Macron's most outspoken ministers. He initially made his name during the early years of Macron’s presidency, as one of a group of well-educated young men from comfortable backgrounds picked to advise and support, and became known for not being shy in speaking out with his opinions.
His ability to respond quickly and eloquently earned him the nickname Word Sniper in the French parliament.
What about his personal life?
He is quiet and keeps his personal life private but is known to be France's first openly gay prime minister. He has talked in the past about being bullied while at school, and has spoken out about the effects bullying can have.
In 2018, Mr Attal was outed by an old school associate when he was named as a junior minister during Macron's first mandate. At this time he was in a relationship with Stéphane Séjourné, Macron's former political adviser, and the relationship was made public.
He is in a civil partnership with Séjourné, who is 38, an MEP and secretary general of the governing party – now named Renaissance.
What have people said about his appointment?
A recent poll carried out by Elabe for Les Échos suggested it would be a popular appointment, with 36 per cent of those who responded believing Attal would make a good prime minister.
Ifop pollster Jerome Fourquet told BFM TV before the appointment was announced, said: "If it is indeed Gabriel Attal, it was the best card the president could play."
But opposition leaders were quick to say they did not expect much from the change in prime minister.
"Élisabeth Borne, Gabriel Attal or someone else, I don't care, it will just be the same policies," Socialist Party leader Olivier Faure told France Inter radio.
