Édouard Philippe has been replaced as prime minister after seeing France through the coronavirus crisis, as President Emmanuel Macron embarked on a high-stakes reshuffle to “set a new course” for the last two years of his mandate, reports The Guardian.
Macron named Jean Castex, 55, a career civil servant from the centre-right of French politics who coordinated France’s successful exit from lockdown and is widely known as “Monsieur Déconfinement”, as Philippe’s successor. The Elysée Palace said Castex would form the next government.
The palace said on Friday morning that Philippe – who dined with Macron on Wednesday and met him again on Thursday, and whose calm, unshowy handling of the pandemic has made him increasingly popular – had submitted his resignation.
Sources in the president’s office insisted the discussions between the two men had been warm and friendly, with both agreeing on “the need for a new government to embody the next phase, a new path”, Reuters reported. Macron on Friday praised Philippe’s “outstanding work” in the past three years.
The president, whose ambitious economic reforms have been thrown off track by the Covid-19 crisis, had previously promised to “reinvent” himself and his presidency in the wake of the pandemic, in order particularly to be able to better confront the deep recession it is forecast to cause.
In an interview with regional newspapers published late on Thursday, Macron said France must prepare for a “very difficult” economic crisis, “so we have to chart a new course … based on economic, social, environmental and cultural reconstruction. Behind this, there will be a new team.”
Other top ministers could also be on the way out in the cabinet reshuffle, with interior minister Christophe Castaner, who has been strongly criticised over the failure to contain the rioting and looting that marred the “yellow vest” protests of 2018-2019, seen as most likely to go.
During the extremes of the crisis it fell to Philippe to deliver the detail of France’s strategy, while Macron painted a bigger picture. During news conferences, the prime minister’s measured and reassuring style won applause as he explained and justified tough lockdown rules and a raft of other unpopular measures.
Philippe’s popularity grew as Macron’s slipped. A poll last week suggested 44% of voters had a favourable opinion of the president, compared to 51% of his prime minister – a jump of 13 points for Philippe since the start of the epidemic that prompted speculation Macron might not want a premier who stole the limelight.