French PM bullish ahead of no-confidence vote

The French Prime Minister Michel Barnier has said it is “possible” he could survive a no-confidence vote in his minority government.

Opposition parties have tabled the motion to oust the former Brexit negotiator after he used special powers to force through his budget without a vote.

In the interview with French TV channels on Tuesday, Barnier pleaded his case before the public, saying that he remained open to budget talks with opposition parties despite being widely predicted to lose the vote.

He also sought to distance himself from France’s ongoing state of political instability, saying he was not at fault.

The French prime minister also rejected the idea that President Emmanuel Macron should resign to unblock the country’s current crisis, calling him a “guarantee of stability”.

In the interview with the TF1 and France 2 television channels, Barnier said: “It’s not a question of political survival for me.

“I’ve been in this office for three months. I arrived there on 5 September, telling myself that I could leave the next morning,” he added.

“This is the first time since 1958 that there is no majority at all. No majority possible between three major groups. I know that this is a fragile and ephemeral situation.”

France has been beset by political uncertainty since Macron called snap elections over the summer which resulted in a hung parliament where no group had an absolute majority.

While a left-wing alliance won most seats, Macron appointed the conservative Barnier in a bid to reinstate stability.

But his government has been consistently undermined because it does not have a majority.

On Monday, Barnier opted to push through controversial reforms to social security by invoking presidential decree after failing to win enough support for the measures.

The budget bill sought to deliver €60bn (£49bn) in tax rises and spending cuts.

But Barnier was forced to cave in to changes demanded by critics due to his lack of a parliamentary majority.

He is now expected to become the shortest-lived prime minister in France’s Fifth Republic, with the left wing bloc in the National Assembly, as well as the far-right, predicted to back the motion against him.

If he does not survive the vote, he will remain in place as caretaker prime minister until Macron announces a new government.

While Macron – who is on a state visit to Saudi Arabia – has reportedly begun considering his pick for the next prime minister, the process could take weeks, as it did in summer.