LIVE. Sébastien Lecornu appointed Prime Minister: Michel Barnier for dissolution in case of blockage "by the RN or the PS"

Laurent Wauquiez, president of the Republican Right group in the National Assembly, assured CNews-Europe 1 that he is "fighting" so that "the voice of the Republicans is heard" and not "just taking positions and not defending his ideas."

A guest on RTL, the resigning Minister of Justice, Gérald Darmanin, reiterated his "confidence" in Sébastien Lecornu as the new Prime Minister.

"I have complete confidence in this Prime Minister. He has the capacity for dialogue; I have known him personally and for a very long time. He is someone who comes from the people," he assures.

Laurent Wauquiez, president of the Republican Right group in the National Assembly and LR deputy for Haute-Loire, calls for people not to fall "into the casting trap" and asks the following question: "Why is he coming?"

According to him, the LR is not yet certain of participating in the government. "We must write down in black and white what we are going to do."

"What matters to me is what the government's program will be. That's the only way the Republican Right MPs will decide," said the leader of the right-wing MPs.

While the National Rally (RN) has been calling for Emmanuel Macron to dissolve the National Assembly for several days, Boris Vallaud has made a point of clarifying the PS's position.

"We are not calling for dissolution, but we are not afraid of it. If it comes to that, we will go to the polls," the socialist assured RTL.

Sceptical about the choice of the new Prime Minister, Boris Vallaud claims that Sébastien Lecornu "has already been given a chance" in the past.

"Sébastien Lecornu has been Emmanuel Macron's minister for eight years, (...) understand the skepticism we may have," denounces Boris Vallaud. "Without a change in policy, the consequences risk being the same," warns the socialist.

The day after Sébastien Lecornu was appointed as the new Prime Minister, Boris Vallaud said he was awaiting his first proposals.

"Restoring the accounts without crushing lives" is what the president of the Socialist Party group in the National Assembly is proposing on RTL, while calling for "more tax justice with the taxation of high net worth individuals."

France's wealthy "must be called upon to contribute. It cannot be the working classes," asserts Boris Vallaud.

On RTL, the president of the Socialist Party (PS) group in the National Assembly, Boris Vallaud, said he was "angry" with the government and "sad" for the French people.

"Our feeling is one of anger, combined with added sadness at the humiliation inflicted on the French men and women who are waiting for change after two consecutive failures by the government," maintains Boris Vallaud.

Former Prime Minister Michel Barnier stated on TF1 that "dissolution is not happening now," arguing that the measure would "not be understood" by the French.

However, in the event of a new blockage "because of Ms. Le Pen or the Socialist Party, then we will have to go back to the citizens and ask their opinion," the former head of government believes.

The LR "will continue to take (their) responsibilities (...)" and will work with Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu with a view to entering the government, Michel Barnier said on TF1. "I wish him well (...) that he succeeds in putting together a budget."

"We don't have any red lines, we don't call ourselves LFI or RN, we have demands," assures the former head of government.

On TF1, former Prime Minister Michel Barnier judges that Sébastien Lecornu is "the choice of a faithful man."

When he disagrees, he says so, but does not display it publicly, according to those close to Sébastien Lecornu, who judge the new Prime Minister as loyal but not a courtier, loyal but not a yes-man.

The Prime Minister will choose his own method, a radical change from his predecessors.

He is a man of consensus. Talking to the right is easy for him, talking to the left is possible for him: at the Defense Committee of the National Assembly, for example, he has established good relations with the communists.

Those close to the new Prime Minister persist in saying that he was not a candidate for Matignon. Yet, this loyalist of Emmanuel Macron's loyalists is indeed the new head of the government.

The latter lives his new position without boasting, firstly by character: he is not a great expansive, he is calm, serious, publicly discreet who does not like the limelight. Too serious sometimes say some of his close friends.

He's not boasting either because the Hôtel de Brienne (the headquarters of the Ministry of the Armed Forces, editor's note) was almost "a childhood dream." He has to give up this position and that's not a joy for him, according to those around him.

He's not boasting, also for reasons of timing: Sébastien Lecornu is taking office on a day when the country is in a state of deadlock and is very aware of the symbolism. He must find a political consensus that no one before him has managed to achieve.

Invited yesterday evening on France Info, the national secretary of the Ecologists accused the new Prime Minister of being "homophobic".

In 2012, during the vote on marriage for all, Sébastien Lecornu opposed this law and declared that "gay communitarianism exasperates me as much as homophobia" or that marriage "is built between a man and a woman."

"The Greens had one condition for considering the possibility of joining a government: that the Prime Minister be left-wing or Green. Mr. Lecornu is neither, but is also homophobic (...) we're not going to waste our time," says Marine Tondelier.

As soon as Sébastien Lecornu's appointment was announced, the main opposition figures expressed their disapproval of this choice.

The leader of the La France Insoumise deputies, Mathilde Panot, has already warned that the LFI deputies will "censor" Sébastien Lecornu, believing that his nomination "is a provocation."

Still on the left, the Socialist Party deplores in a press release that "Emmanuel Macron is persisting in a path in which no socialist will participate."

For her part, the leader of the National Rally MPs, Marine Le Pen, believes that the head of state is "firing the last shot at Macronism." Jordan Bardella warns that the National Rally "will judge the new Prime Minister without illusions on the facts, on his actions, on his policies to provide France with a budget," already brandishing his party's "red lines."

Sébastien Lecornu is a loyal supporter of Emmanuel Macron . He is also the only minister to have been in the government since he came to power in 2017.

First Secretary of State to the Minister of Ecological and Inclusive Transition (2017-2018), Minister Delegate for Local Authorities (2018-2020) and Minister for Overseas Territories (2020-2022), he has been Minister of the Armed Forces for the past three years.

A former member of the Republicans, he is close to Édouard Philippe and Gérald Darmanin, who was until then Minister of Justice.

Shortly after his appointment, Sébastien Lecornu announced his intention to act for "political and institutional stability." The new Prime Minister said he was "measuring" the "expectations" of the French people.

"The President of the Republic has entrusted me with the task of building a government with a clear direction: the defense of our independence and our power, the service of the French people and political and institutional stability for the unity of the country," he wrote on his social networks.

The Prime Minister's entourage told BFMTV that Sébastien Lecornu "has already begun his consultations."

Hello everyone, and welcome to this live broadcast dedicated to political news in France, following Emmanuel Macron's appointment of Sébastien Lecornu as the new Prime Minister.

The handover of power to François Bayrou, who failed to gain the confidence of the deputies, will take place this afternoon at Matignon. A date that coincides with major social mobilizations as part of the "Block Everything!" movement.