France’s new government meets with focus on the budget and immigration – as it happened

Michel Barnier interviewed on the France 2 channel on Sunday evening Photograph: Samson Thomas/ABACA/REX/Shutterstock

2.19pm BST

Summary of the day

• France’s new government gathered for the first time. Michel Barnier, the prime minister, has set budget and migrant issues as top priorities.

• Bruno Retailleau, France’s newly-named interior minister, gave a speech stressing that his priority will be to “restore order”.

• Germany’s Social Democratic party (SPD) narrowly won yesterday’s election in Brandenburg.

• The SPD’s co-leader, Lars Klingbeil, said “yesterday’s election gives us courage that we can do it, but of course I also know that the challenges and the questions we have to deal with at national level are far from dealt with as a result of yesterday evening.”

• The far-right Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) party had made considerable gains among young people in Brandenburg.

• Sahra Wagenknecht has celebrated her party’s performance in the Brandenburg state election, writing that there’s no way around it.

• Three women died after their boat sank off the island of Samos, the Greek coastguard said.

1.42pm BST

Michel Barnier, the French prime minister, has told his new ministers to work together as a team, BFMTV reports.

He also asked them to be modest.

🔴 EN DIRECT
Avant le Premier conseil des ministres, Michel Barnier appelle ses ministres "à jouer collectif"https://t.co/cjTKQdt8Hc pic.twitter.com/RNqFwHFmwM

— BFMTV (@BFMTV) September 23, 2024