New French finance chief signals openness to dilute Macron’s pension reform to woo the left – POLITICO #FrenchFinance

Le Pen argued that Barnier’s budget would prove too costly for the middle class and accused his government of waiting too long to involve the National Rally in negotiations.

Lombard appears to be trying to avoid the same mistake, targeting the center left as potential partners in the opposition and getting them involved early in the process. Industry Minister Marc Ferracci told POLITICO that Lombard’s style, which “favors opening doors,” and the format of talks have helped push the process forward.

Should Lombard succeed, it would cause a serious rift in the New Popular Front, the pan-left alliance that owns a plurality of seats in the National Assembly, France’s lower house of parliament.

The hard-left France Unbowed, which has more seats in the National Assembly than any other New Popular Front party, opposes all talks with the current government and has been pushing for Macron to resign.

France Unbowed’s unfiltered and divisive leader, Jean-Luc Mélenchon, has already lashed out at the center left, describing the Greens and Socialists as “ridiculous in their servility.” His deputy Manuel Bompard warned that talks with the government would revive what he called the “disgust and hatred” that marked the Socialist Party during François Hollande’s unpopular presidency.

Mélenchon, a former Socialist minister who broke with the party over his belief that it had veered too much toward the center, was by far the leading left-wing candidate in the last two presidential elections. His electoral success prompted the Greens and Socialists to join forces with him in the 2022 and 2024 legislative elections, but the center left has been attempting to distance themselves from Mélenchon’s more radical brand of politics to rebuild their own reputation.

Giorgio Leali and Elisa Bertholomey contributed to this report.