2026 Budget: Opposition threatens to censure the Bayrou government, Macron's party hails a "moment of courage"

With opposition groups raging and brandishing the threat of censure, and Macron's party hailing "a moment of courage" : reactions poured in quickly after Prime Minister François Bayrou announced cost-cutting measures to reduce the public deficit on Tuesday, July 15.

The leader of the rebels, Jean-Luc Mélenchon , did not mince his words: "Make the majority pay to spare the very rich [...] Be careful, we are approaching the point of no return. Destruction and injustice must no longer be accepted. It is urgent to put an end to Macronism. We must get Bayrou out." And his comrade Mathilde Panot added: "Bayrou declares social war. Elimination of 2 public holidays, non-replacement of 1 in 3 civil servants, delisting of medicines, attack on unemployment insurance, on sick leave, privatizations [...]. We will censor this policy of misfortune!"

Eric Coquerel, the LFI chairman of the Finance Committee at the National Assembly, also went all out after the Prime Minister's conference: "It's a museum of neoliberal horrors, a declaration of war on the world of work. It's a social and economic catastrophe that must be censored as soon as possible."

Former rebel François Ruffin also doesn't mince his words regarding François Bayrou's savings plan: "Bayrou is announcing a dark year. Budgets frozen, the sick targeted, state assets sold off, retirees targeted, the precarious weakened, public holidays sacrificed... But what about record dividends? The great fortunes? The Gafam? Nothing. No acceptable effort without justice [...]. There will be censorship, of course."

For Ian Brossat, a PCF councilor in Paris, the same observation: "It's not a budget, it's a purge. Forty years of political life doing nothing, and Bayrou is telling the French that they're going to have to work harder without gaining anything." And the same question: "When is he going to leave?"

The leader of the Ecologists, Marine Tondelier, returned to the proposal to eliminate public holidays, including May 8: "François Bayrou is therefore proposing that May 8, which commemorates the victory over Nazism, should no longer be a public holiday. How exactly should we understand this?"

The first secretary of the Socialist Party warned this Tuesday evening: "On the current basis, the only possible perspective is censure." The leader of the Socialist deputies, Boris Vallaud, for his part lamented: "Asking ever more of those who have little... and so little of those who have a lot is neither serious nor effective nor fair. A brutal and unacceptable budget."

For the leader of the RN deputies, Marine Le Pen, "this government prefers to attack the French people, workers and retirees, rather than hunt down waste." She threatened: "If François Bayrou doesn't revise his copy, we will censor him."

In the sights of the president of the far-right party, Jordan Bardella , the Prime Minister's desire to attack public holidays: "The abolition of two public holidays, which are otherwise as meaningful as Easter Monday and May 8, is a direct attack on our history, on our roots, and on the France of work. No RN MP will accept this measure , which is provocative."

UDR member Eric Ciotti, an ally of the National Rally, is seeing red: "Blood and tears for the French, la dolce vita for the obese state […]. The French are being made to pay for the negligence of the political class, without any serious savings on immigration or public spending!"

Modem leader Marc Fesneau hails a "moment of truth. A moment of courage. A comprehensive plan, with efforts distributed fairly and justly […]. It is now up to all of us, citizens, committed people, public officials, to rise to the occasion."

They agreed. Hervé Marseille, of the UDI, also spoke of the Prime Minister's "courage" in "speaking truthfully. Now is the time to make choices; everyone must be able to contribute their fair share. It will be up to Parliament to act responsibly."

Xavier Bertrand, the LR president of the Hauts-de-France regional council, laments: "Once again, it is mainly the middle classes who will be called upon to contribute, even though it is through their mobilization and their hard work that the country can get out of this: yet another misunderstanding!"