^{Sébastien Lecornu has served as minister of the armed forces in the governments of successive prime ministers © AFP via Getty Images}

Macron appoints Sébastien Lecornu as France’s new prime minister

Defence minister has served in all of the president’s governments

Sarah White and Leila Abboud in Paris Published FT 09-09-2025

French President Emmanuel Macron has appointed defence minister Sébastien Lecornu as his new prime minister, as he turned to one of his closest allies to try to quell political turmoil in the country. 

Macron moved quickly after outgoing premier François Bayrou lost a confidence vote in the National Assembly on Monday over his deficit-cutting plans.

Lecornu, 39, is the only minister to have served in all Macron’s governments since the president was elected in 2017.

But the life long politician, a conservative, will need to build bridges with opposition parties if his minority government is to pass a budget and tackle France’s debt crisis.

This is a developing story