Macron names defence miner Sébastien Lecornu as new French PM | World News

French President Emmanuel Macron has named defence miner Sébastien Lecornu as the country’s new prime miner, Reuters reported on Tuesday.
The move keeps Macron close to a loyal ally as he seeks to protect his economic reform agenda, but it risks widening political divides and leaves his minority government reliant on the far right in parliament.
Who is Sébastien Lecornu?
Lecornu, 39, has been a Macron loyal since backing his 2017 presidential run. He most recently served as defence miner, where he oversaw a rise in defence spending and helped shape European thinking on possible security guarantees for Ukraine.
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What’s at stake?
Lecornu’s immediate task is to deliver agreement on the 2026 budget, after Macron’s previous prime miner, François Bayrou, was ousted over his plans to rein in debt with sharp spending cuts. France’s deficit now stands at nearly twice the European Union’s limit of 3% of GDP.
Nationwide “Block Everything” protests are planned for Wednesday, highlighting public discontent with the government’s direction.
Political risks
picking Lecornu, Macron signalled that he will not shift leftward towards the Social Party, which has called for reversing some of his flagship reforms such as raising the retirement age and scrapping a wealth tax.
Instead, Macron may need to rely on the far-right National Rally (RN), led Marine Le Pen. Lecornu has previously met RN leaders in private, and party officials told Reuters they could offer tacit support for him, as long as his government avoids raising taxes.Story continues below this ad
Lecornu entered politics as a teenager, canvassing for former president Nicolas Sarkozy. At 18, he became mayor of a small town in Normandy, and 22 he was Sarkozy’s youngest government adviser.
He later broke with the conservatives to join Macron’s centr movement in 2017 and went on to run Macron’s 2022 re-election campaign.