Visiting a school in Issy-les-Moulineaux (Hauts-de-Seine) for the start of the new academic year on Monday 2 September, Gabriel Attal, the resigning Prime Minister, was surprised by an unusual question. A curious pupil asked him: ‘Do you know who the next Prime Minister will be?’ Attal replied honestly: ‘My answer is no, but it’s a real question that many French people are asking.’

The exchange engaged the audience, as did another amusing moment. Gabriel Attal asked the CM2 pupils if they knew who he was. ‘You are Gabriel Attal, the former Prime Minister’, replied one pupil, prompting general laughter. Attal, who has been at Matignon for nearly eight months and resigned 48 days ago, replied with a smile: ‘I can see that you are well informed about current political events.’

Meanwhile, Emmanuel Macron is continuing his consultations at the Elysée Palace to appoint the future tenant of Matignon. On Monday morning, the President of the Republic received the former Prime Minister Bernard Cazeneuve, whose name is circulating with insistence, as well as other political figures, including Xavier Bertrand and former presidents François Hollande and Nicolas Sarkozy.

The students, clearly curious about the backstage workings of power, didn’t hesitate to ask Gabriel Attal about his relationship with Emmanuel Macron. ‘How is the President with you?’ one student asked

‘We’ve worked together a lot in recent years,’ replied the resigning Prime Minister, referring to his career as government spokesman and Minister of National Education.

‘Our relationship is based on respect, hard work and mutual recognition. Things are going well! But this answer was not enough for some of the students, prompting one of them to go further: ‘Are you friends with the President? Attal, smiling, replied: ‘Yes, we have a close relationship. I’ve been with him for a long time, even before he became President. I campaigned for him, so yes, a close relationship.’

Meanwhile, Emmanuel Macron is continuing his political consultations, with a penchant for male candidates, according to sources close to the matter. However, the final decision has not yet been taken.