The Minister for the Economy, Antoine Armand, caused controversy on Tuesday when he appeared on France Inter, where he said that the Rassemblement National (RN) was not part of the ‘republican arc’. These remarks quickly led the Prime Minister, Michel Barnier, to intervene, firmly reframing his minister, as confirmed by a source at Matignon on 24 September

This call to order came at a time when the Prime Minister was keen to reaffirm the government’s principles, insisting on ‘respect for voters’ and the ‘presidents of parliamentary groups’, including those of the RN. Michel Barnier also took the initiative of contacting Marine Le Pen, the chairwoman of the RN group in the National Assembly, directly to assure her of the government’s commitment to maintaining an open and respectful dialogue.

The Bercy press release also emphasised that ‘the economic and financial situation calls for broad consultation with all elected representatives’, confirming that Antoine Armand will meet all the political forces represented in Parliament, in line with the line defined by the Prime Minister.