When the affair over environment minister François de Rugy's use of public money first broke, President Emmanuel Macron was determined to hold firm and keep his minister in government. He did not want to “give an inch” to Mediapart he was reported as saying, and initially insisted that unless and until a criminal investigation was opened his minister should stay. But in the end, because of the impact the story was having among the public, and despite the fact that there was little real prospect of legal proceedings being started, President Macron bowed to political reality – and de Rugy left the government. Ellen Salvi reports.
When the revelations about environment minister François de Rugy and his spending on the public purse first broke, President Emmanuel Macron was determined to keep the man who was the de facto number 2 of the government after the prime minister. The president did not want to “give an inch to Mediapart” - who broke the story - according to several people close to him during the week.
