French president Emmanuel Macron has named his ally Francois Bayrou as the new prime minister and tasked the veteran centrist with steering the country out of its second major political crisis in months.
The priority for Mr Bayrou will be passing a special law to roll over the 2024 Budget, with a nastier battle over a fresh Budget early next year. Mr Macron’s last PM, Michel Barnier, was ousted after three months following a no-confidence vote. It was triggered after the former Brexit negotiator controversially used special constitutional powers to force through his Budget, made up of €60 billion (£50bn) in tax hikes and spending cuts, without a vote.
