"Mr Lecornu, 39, is the youngest defence minister in French history and architect of a major military build-up through to 2030, spurred on by Russia's war in Ukraine. A former conservative who joined Mr Macron's centrist movement in 2017, he has held posts in local governments, overseas territories and during the president's yellow vest "great debate", where he helped manage mass anger with dialogue."
"His rise reflects Mr Macron's instinct to reward loyalty, but also the need for continuity as repeated budget showdowns have toppled his predecessors and left France in drift. Politicians toppled Mr Lecornu's predecessor Francois Bayrou and his government in a confidence vote on Monday. Mr Bayrou gambled that politicians would back his view that France must slash public spending to rein in its huge debts. Instead, they seized on the vote to gang up against the 74-year-old centrist who was appointed by Mr Macron last December."
"The demise of Mr Bayrou's short-lived minority government heralds renewed uncertainty and a risk of prolonged legislative deadlock for France as it wrestles with pressing challenges, including budget difficulties and, internationally, wars in Ukraine and Gaza and the shifting priorities of US president Donald Trump. Drafting a budget will be a top priority for Mr Lecornu, and normally a new prime minister would form a new government before negotiating the national spending in parliament."
Mr Lecornu is 39, the youngest defence minister in French history and the architect of a major military build-up through to 2030 driven by Russia's war in Ukraine. He is a former conservative who joined Mr Macron's centrist movement in 2017 and has held posts in local governments, overseas territories and during the yellow vest "great debate", where he helped manage mass anger with dialogue and offered talks on autonomy during Guadeloupe unrest in 2021. His rise reflects Macron's instinct to reward loyalty and the need for continuity after repeated budget showdowns toppled predecessors. The collapse of Francois Bayrou's minority government over proposed spending cuts creates renewed uncertainty and risks prolonged legislative deadlock. Drafting a budget will be Lecornu's immediate priority, with Macron asking him to consult all parliamentary parties before assembling a government to try to reach agreement first.
Read at Irish Independent
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