For the sixth time, the French Parliament has launched a no-confidence motion against Prime Minister François Bayrou’s government, this time spearheaded by the Socialist Party.
On Monday, 66 Socialist deputies backed the initiative, framing it as a response to what they described as the “Trumpization” of public debate and Bayrou’s rhetoric on migration, which they argued aligned with right-wing narratives.
Despite the move, the motion is unlikely to pass, as it lacks support from the National Rally party.
“We won’t vote for this because the Socialist Party is only bringing it forward to challenge the prime minister’s rational—albeit insufficient—proposals,” said National Rally MP Thomas Ménagé on Sunday.
The motion also faced skepticism from the left.
“The Socialist Party has refused to call for a no-confidence vote against Bayrou five times since January. It’s obvious this attempt is rather artificial,” said La France Insoumise coordinator Manuel Bompard.
Bompard suggested that while future no-confidence motions were possible, now was not the right moment. “There may be other opportunities to express no confidence in the government. We’re not ruling anything out—in the coming months, the coming weeks… But the time is not yet right,” he added.
