The French far-right leader Marine Le Pen has repeated her threat to back a censure motion that could topple the French prime minister, Michel Barnier, after the two met for talks on his government’s budget.
Barnier has been meeting party leaders to persuade them to back the budget in parliament amid speculation that the prime minister – appointed by the president, Emmanuel Macron, at the head of a minority government – may attempt to use a constitutional clause to force it through without a vote.
The leftwing coalition, the New Popular Front (NFP), has already threatened to table a censure motion if Barnier uses the measure, known as the 49:3, to push through the 2025 budget.
After Monday’s meeting, Le Pen said she had reminded the prime minister of the far-right National Rally’s (RN) “red lines”, which include dropping budget plans to increase taxes on electricity and the delaying of increases to certain pensions to cover inflation.
“We will see if today’s proposals are taken on board, but nothing is certain,” Le Pen said.
BFMTV reported that the RN is due to decide whether to lodge the censure motion at a meeting on 18 December, throwing doubt on whether Barnier could continue in his post.
Le Pen, who is president of the RN parliamentary group in the Assemblée Nationale, said Barnier was “courteous” at Monday’s meeting but appeared “fixed on his position”.
If MPs for the NFP and RN all vote for the censure motion it will pass and the government will fall.
Barnier has described any alliance of left and far right to overturn the government as a “coalition of opposites”.
Last week, during a conference of French mayors, he said: “I know this is not what the French want. What they want is stability and serenity.”
Another RN source told BFMTV: “He [Barnier] listened to us but did not hear us. I don’t have the feeling he has understood that things have changed.”
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Barnier was made prime minister by Macron at the beginning of September after July’s snap general election.
Macron had hoped that the election would strengthen his position but the move backfired, forcing his centrist government to resign and leaving the lower house of parliament divided into three equal blocs – far right, left and centre – none of which has an absolute majority.
Last week, leaders of the parties in the NFP coalition, including France Unbowed (LFI), the Socialists (PS), the French Communist party (PCF) and the Greens said in a statement they would attempt to bring the government down if the 49:3 was used.
“Our aim is simple: to protect our fellow citizens from the impact of a budget that will not open the way for a new future for the country but will prolong the social divide, ecological irresponsibility and democratic brutality,” they wrote.
