President names Gabriel Attal prime minister of France

President Macron has named Gabriel Attal as prime minister following the resignation of Elisabeth Borne.

At age 34, he is the youngest prime minister in French history.

Ms Borne’s position had become increasingly untenable in recent weeks following the severe opposition faced by the government’s Immigration bill, which was only approved by parliament with the support of the far-right.

She handed Mr Macron her resignation on Monday afternoon (January 8).

The president paid homage to Ms Borne’s “exemplary service to the country”.

He confirmed on Monday evening that Gabriel Attal would be the new prime minister.

A pragmatic socialist

Mr Attal joined the Socialist Party in 2006 but switched to Mr Macron’s En Marche (now called Renaissance) Party in 2016.

In 2018, as a state secretary under then-Prime Minister Eduard Phillipe, he became the youngest member of government in the history of the Fifth Republic.

However, it was in his role as government spokesperson during the Covid-19 pandemic that he first caught the public eye.

He was named Minister of Education in July 2023.

Despite holding a ministerial role for less than a year he has demonstrated the type of political flexibility and pragmatism that Mr Macron admires.

Within a month of holding the post, Mr Attal controversially banned the abaya dress and openly supported the introduction of school uniforms.

As the youngest prime minister in French history (Napoleon Bonaparte was First Consul at age 30), Mr Attal will have the difficult role of managing a relatively unpopular government with no overall parliamentary majority.

He will also have the immense pressure of global scrutiny during the Paris 2024 Olympics.

Mr Attal's partner, Stéphane Séjourné, is General Secretary of the Renaissance Party and a member of the European Parliament.

The new prime minister's first duty will be to oversee a ministerial reshuffle.

‘Policies will not change’

Opponents of Mr Macron’s government have been quick to voice their disapproval of the reshuffle.

“They can change the team, but their policies will not change,” said president of the left-wing La France Insoumise, Mathilde Panot, reacting to Ms Borne’s resignation.

In addition to the difficulties faced by the Immigration bill, Ms Borne had faced mounting pressure due to her government’s lacklustre response to last year’s riots and its perceived mismanagement of the persistent floods in Pas-de-Calais.

“A change was necessary,” said François Bayrou, President of the centrist Modem party speaking to BFMTV.

“There have been clear problems for some time due to the government’s lack of a clear majority in parliament.”

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