Are we at a turning point in French politics? Emmanuel Macron's ruling party is in crisis after the far right threw its weight behind an immigration bill stiffened after a parliamentary compromise. The government insists it had the votes without Marine Le Pen's party, but there's more than one way to read the outcome.
"An ideological victory," hails Le Pen, whose National Rally is now the largest opposition party in France's lower house of parliament. Is this the definitive end of pariah status for a movement with a Nazi collaborator past?
Where does it leave France's term-limited president? The next presidential poll is not until 2027. In a nation where a lot of power is concentrated at the top, will Macron's successor be able to argue, as he did, that those who disagree with him should hold their noses to block Le Pen?
There's also a broader question: whether it's in France, the UK or the Netherlands, why is immigration the issue that's got governments on the backfoot? The crisis in France erupted on the same day the EU agreed to what it bills as its biggest immigration reform in decades. What will be the outcome when citizens vote in EU elections next June?
Read more'The far right is now in power': French media blast tough immigration law
Produced by Charles Wente, Guillaume Gougeon and Juliette Brown.
