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There is a live feed of the French parliament debate at the top of this blog. You may need to refresh the page to view it. Also, note that the debate will be in French with no translation in the video. Marine Le Pen is speaking now.
Welcome to our Europe blog with a lively day expected in the French parliament with two no-confidence votes scheduled.
The prime minister, Sébastien Lecornu, and his government appear likely to survive, however, after he offered to suspend President Emmanuel Macron’s landmark pension reform to win support from the left.
The Socialists, who hold the key to Lecornu’s political survival, welcomed the move, saying they would not support the no-confidence motions, one from the far-left and the other from the far-right National Rally.
The result is still expected to be close, Reuters reports, with potential rebels from the Socialists or conservative Republicans injecting a measure of doubt into the result.
There are 265 lawmakers in parliament from parties that have said they will vote to topple Lecornu, with only 289 votes needed to oust him.
By putting the pension reform on the chopping block, Lecornu threatens to kill off one of Macron’s main economic legacies at a time when France’s public finances are in a perilous state. The country is in the midst of its worst political crisis in decades as a succession of minority governments seek to push deficit-reducing budgets through a truculent legislature split into three distinct ideological blocs.
Meanwhile the Socialists are seeking to capitalise on their current power with a bid to introduce a flagship wealth tax to raise revenue by targeting France’s richest people.
The debate is already under way. I will bring you updates and reactions as they come in.
It’s Thursday, 16 October 2025, I’m Amy Sedghi and this is Europe Live.
Good morning.
