Macron appoints defence minister Sébastien Lecornu as new French prime minister

French president Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday appointed defence minister Sébastien Lecornu as the country’s new prime minister, just a day after a vote of confidence at the National Assembly ousted the government of François Bayrou. 

The new head of government has been tasked with consulting political parties to try to agree on France’s next budget.

A former conservative who joined the president’s party in 2017, Lecornu has remained a loyal ally to the president ever since. At 39 years old, he becomes the 5th prime minister since the start of Macron’s second term in 2022. 

Macron's unusually quick decision to name Lecornu came ahead of a day of mass disruption planned this Wednesday by a protest movement called "Let's Block Everything", which prompted the government to deploy an exceptional 80,000 police to keep order.

After holding local office and being elected a member of parliament, Lecornu served in several governments under Macron's presidency, including as minister of the overseas territories from 2020 to 2022.

He became France's youngest defence minister in 2022. Over the past three years, he has tackled issues like France’s assistance to Ukraine against the Russian invasion, and the French military withdrawal from West Africa.  He also championed a €413 billion defence spending package for 2024-2030.

As France's new head government, drafting a budget will be a top priority for Lecornu. A new prime minister would normally form the new government before negotiating the national spending in Parliament.

But Macron has asked Lecornu to consult with all of the political parties in Parliament first to try to agree on a budget before assembling his team.

“The prime minister’s action will be guided by the defence of our independence and our power, serving the French and the political and institutional stability for the unity of our country,” Macron said in a statement.