Macron under pressure to name new PM as France simmers ahead of protests

François Bayrou has handed in his resignation, leaving France without a prime minister on the eve of nationwide protests.

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The fall of Bayrou's government came as no surprise, because a majority in France's hung parliament staunchly opposed Bayrou's bid to bring down France's spiralling debt with €44bn (£38bn) budget cuts.

But Macron is still faced with one of the highest budget deficits in the eurozone and mounting criticism from political opponents.

France is also facing a day of protests on Wednesday from a nebulous grassroots movement called Bloquons Tout - "Let's Block Everything", and authorities are planning to deploy 80,000 police.

As Monday's confidence vote was called by Bayrou himself, Macron has had weeks to prepare his next step. He has already made clear he will choose a new prime minister in the coming days - the fifth since he won a second term as president in 2022.