9 d. ago PM denies small boat plans are ‘in tatters’ as ministers urge new French tactics

Sir Keir is expected to speak to French President Emmanuel Macron on Friday.

Politics

1 week ago Royal Navy destroyer shadows Russian warship in English Channel

HMS Duncan was deployed under Nato command in a ‘historic first’.

Events

1 week ago Migrants boarded small boat to UK, leaving others behind with deflated dinghy

A group of men and women carrying some small children were pictured waiting to cross the Channel on Gravelines beach early this morning.

Events

2 w. ago Broken promises and political crises: how Emmanuel Macron fell from French favour

The president is seen to have accelerated the financial crisis, social inequalities and the rise of the far rightEurope live – latest updatesThree French governments have collapsed in less than a year, and the political crisis looks likely to continue, overshadowing Emmanuel Macron’s last 18 months in power and his domestic legacy.This week, the latest minority government narrowly survived its first vote of no confidence. But it remains the weakest cabinet in decades and could be toppled at any moment if opposition parties join together to oust it. France faces a brutal two-month battle in parliament to achieve what once seemed the most basic element of governance: passing a budget. Continue reading...

Politics

2 w. ago Political deadlock and spending on dual crises leaves French finances in disarray

France is a major industrial power, the world’s seventh-largest economy

Politics

2 w. ago Number of Channel crossing arrivals ‘frustrating’, says border security chief

Border Security Commander Martin Hewitt said he finds the numbers very challenging but that work to stop crossings was always going to take time.

Events

2 w. ago Macron accuses rivals of fuelling instability as he dismisses calls to resign

French president says opposition has not ‘risen to the moment’ after reappointment of Sébastien Lecornu as PMThe French president, Emmanuel Macron, has accused rival political parties of fuelling instability in France, as he brushed aside calls by the opposition for him to resign amid France’s worst political crisis in decades.“Many of those who have fuelled division and speculation have not risen to the moment,” Macron said of French opposition parties, as he arrived in Egypt on Monday to attend a summit on Gaza. He said rival “political forces” were “solely responsible for this chaos” after they “instigated the destabilisation” of the prime minister, Sébastien Lecornu. Continue reading...

Politics

2 w. ago French political crisis continues as Macron blames rivals for ‘sense of disorder’– Europe live

President, attending Gaza summit in Egypt, reiterates he will not step down as opponents lodge no-confidence motions in the governmentNational Assembly president Yaël Braun-Pivet has welcomed the appointment of Sébastien Lecornu’s new government, calling for calm and constructive debate as parliament prepares to convene.“Our institutions are strong and now ready to work in the interests of the French people,” Braun-Pivet said on social media. “Posturing and political manoeuvring must give way to constructive discussion before the National Assembly. Let the parliamentary debate begin!” Continue reading...

Politics

2 w. ago French political crisis continues as Lecornu unveils new government – Europe live

Marine Le Pen says she will seek to call a no-confidence motion as she urges Macron to dissolve the National AssemblySpeaking from Egypt, French president Emmanuel Macron dismissed opposition calls for his resignation, insisting he would remain in office to safeguard the country’s stability.“Never forget that the mandate given by the French people is to serve, to serve and serve, and to provide answers to the questions of everyday French people, and to do everything possible for the independence of France,” Macron told reporters in Sharm el-Sheikh. “That is the only thing that matters. The rest is the government’s business I will continue to ensure stability,” he added. Continue reading...

Politics

3 w. ago Inside Macron’s political crisis as French government descends into farce: ‘An extraordinary tragicomedy’

The resignation of prime minister Sebastien Lecornu , and his subsequent reappointment, is the latest chapter in France’s ongoing political turmoil. Analysts tell James C. Reynolds that the rot may be too deep for President Emmanuel Macron to fix

Politics

3 w. ago The Guardian view on political chaos in France: the gift that keeps on giving to Marine Le Pen and the far right | Editorial

Influential abroad, Emmanuel Macron’s strategic errors at home are bringing mainstream French politics into disrepute at a crucial momentIn Jean-Paul Sartre’s 1944 play No Exit, hell is portrayed as a locked room in which characters are condemned to fall out and squabble for all eternity. Ever since foolishly calling a snap election which delivered a deadlocked and divided national assembly, the French president, Emmanuel Macron, has found himself trapped in a modern political version of the same plot.On Monday morning, the third prime minister Mr Macron has appointed in just over a year became the latest to throw in the towel, after only 27 days in the job. Hours after unveiling his ministerial team, Sébastien Lecornu stood down following a backlash from centre-right allies, who objected to the number of carryovers from François Bayrou’s previous administration. By Monday evening, Mr Macron had persuaded Mr Lecornu to conduct a round of last-ditch negotiations to try to resolv...

Politics

3 w. ago Emmanuel Macron faces calls to step down after French PM resigns

The French president faces another political crisis as his closest allies seek to distance themselves

Politics

3 w. ago French PM in final bid to salvage cabinet amid political turmoil – Europe live

Macron has asked Lecornu to stay on for 48 hours to try to win over lawmakersJordan Bardella, the leader of the far-right party National Rally, has also supported the dissolution of parliament, followed by elections.Bardella told France’s BFM TV that his party was preparing for both parliamentary elections and an early presidential vote. Continue reading...

Politics

3 w. ago What happened on a chaotic day in French politics – and what next?

Sébastien Lecornu agreed two days’ extension to his 27-day premiership in last-ditch effort to form governmentMacron makes last-ditch effort to retain French PM after rapid resignationEurope live – latest updatesEven by recent standards, Monday was a day of high drama in France’s corridors of power.In the morning, hours after his new cabinet was announced and less than a month after his appointment, the prime minister, Sébastien Lecornu, resigned along with his government. Continue reading...

Politics

3 w. ago Macron appoints new French government in attempt to end political deadlock

Rivals say president’s latest cabinet represents unwelcome continuity and hard-left party vows to file no-confidence motion amid fraught budget talksFrench president Emmanuel Macron has named a new government as he struggles to pull the country out of a political crisis, while rivals threatened to topple the lineup quickly if it failed to break with Macron’s past policies.The new cabinet was unveiled nearly a month after the appointment of prime minister Sebastien Lecornu, who sought to obtain cross-party support in a deeply divided parliament. Continue reading...

Politics

3 w. ago Street battles, invented languages and gigs in psychiatric hospitals: France’s lost rock revolution of 1968

Bands such as Magma and Art Zoyd provided a soundtrack for the student protests that shook the country. Little remembered now, a new book reveals their decisive influence on later successes such as Air and Daft PunkThe seismic shock that May 1968 had on the French way of life has been widely documented. The student protests, which erupted at the Sorbonne before spreading around the country, hastened the end of the Gaullist regime, politicised French philosophy, and spawned a wave of radical films such as Jean Eustache’s The Mother and the Whore.Much less is known – outside France, at least – about how the revolutionary ideas of 1968 expressed themselves in music. Australian musician and journalist Ian Thompson, for one, knew little about French underground rock when he stumbled upon a box of old vinyl, labelled “French prog-rock” on a pre-Covid trip to Paris. He was blown away. Continue reading...

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