LIVE. Confidence vote on September 8: "We all need to come back around the table" on the budget, argues Aurore Bergé.

A guest on France 2's "4 Vérités" on Thursday, August 28, Aurore Bergé, Minister for Gender Equality and the Fight against Discrimination, emphasized the government's stated desire to begin negotiations on the budget. "What strikes me is that we can no longer even agree on the reality of the figures (...) On the issue of the deficit, public spending, and debt, we cannot continue in the same way. We all need to come back around the table. We need to move away from a logic where we consider there to be some kind of magic money," she explained. Follow our live coverage.

Prime Minister François Bayrou addresses the French employers' association (Medef). The head of government, who has said he is ready "for all necessary negotiations" on the budget if he wins his bid for a confidence vote in the National Assembly on September 8, is addressing the French employers' association (Medef) on Thursday – a fourth opportunity in four days to publicly discuss the budget issue. He is scheduled to speak at 2:30 p.m. at the Rencontre des Entrepreneurs de France (REF), which is being held for the first time at Roland Garros under the slogan: "Decisive Game."

"A priori, we cannot obtain confidence." The Prime Minister, a guest on TF1 on Wednesday evening, agreed that "today, a priori, we cannot obtain confidence" on September 8, the opposition having already announced that they would vote against. "My conviction is that it is impossible to continue or carry out the policy of recovery of the country if there is not a minimum of agreement on the importance of this choice , " declared the head of government, who " does not want to force it through . "

"Inflexibility," "casuality"... Political reactions are multiplying. François Bayrou's interview Wednesday evening did not fail to provoke a reaction within the political class. "Bayrou, confused, confuses figures and arguments. He frightens and lies , " attacked Jean-Luc Mélenchon, the founder of La France insoumise, on X (New window) . " Mr. Prime Minister, you say you don't like trickery... For my part, I don't like lies," reacted (New window) the president of the National Rally group in the Assembly, Marine Le Pen, on the same social network .

François Bayrou will meet with party and parliamentary group leaders on Monday. The head of government will meet with party and parliamentary group leaders at Matignon on Monday, a week after announcing that he was holding the government accountable to the National Assembly, France Télévisions learned from his entourage.