Macron’s plan A was to present himself as the bulwark against chaos. His plan B was to get the RN in power in the national assembly so their incompetence could become obvious in time for the presidential elections in 2027. It seems he’s fallen between two stools.
In just a few weeks, Nigel Farage and co have so toxified their brand that the cordon sanitaire between themselves and the Tories is the strongest it has been in over a decade.
Over 90 per cent of French Jews say La France Insoumise has contributed to the rise of antisemitism, and 60 per cent say the same of the Greens. The same figure for the party of Le Pen? Just 49 per cent.
The political guinea pig in question is the Republicans, France’s traditional centre-right party, which as of 18 May has a new leader and presidential hopeful: Bruno Retailleau.