"I live frugally": François Bayrou denies any extended dinners or drinks at Matignon and defends his work schedule

Prime Minister François Bayrou defended his daily work from 7:30 a.m. to midnight on Sunday, June 29, and said he was the subject of "accusations intended to harm" in this regard.

"Come and see if there are any aperitifs. Never. If there are any dinners that drag on, never. That's not how I live. I live frugally," he said indignantly while being interviewed by the RTL/Public Sénat/Le Figaro Grand Jury.

"You are making insinuations," he said to the journalist who questioned him, echoing press articles or comments made privately by political leaders.

"I never have a political dinner," he insisted, accusing journalists of "expressing accusations that are intended to harm," adding that they work "from 7:30 in the morning until midnight, every day."

The centrist leader, who has been at Matignon since December, is regularly accused of inaction in the face of a highly complex political situation since he does not have a majority in the National Assembly.

He will be the subject of a motion of censure tabled by the Socialists on Tuesday. This motion is expected to be rejected, as the National Rally will not support it. But the prospect of very difficult debates on the 2026 budget in the fall poses serious threats to his government.