How France’s Republican front halted the far-right’s rise

Good morning. I’m driving this week as Henry is in Washington for the Nato leaders’ summit. We’ll hear more from him later this week.

In an unexpected twist, France’s leftwing alliance surged to first place in yesterday’s parliamentary elections, thwarting the advance of the far-right Rassemblement National. Our correspondent in Paris has more below.

And our Brexit specialist explains how the new Labour government in the UK is already trying to strengthen relations with Brussels.

Do you have questions about the French election? My colleagues and I will be answering your queries here at midday GMT.

Republican front

French President Emmanuel Macron promised a “clarification” of the country’s political landscape when he called a snap parliamentary election. Yesterday’s shock result has instead delivered uncertainty over who will form the next government in Europe’s second-largest economy — and a surprise surge for a left-wing coalition, writes Sarah White.

Context: Macron called the election after his party was trounced in last month’s European parliament election. Pre-vote polling suggested Marine Le Pen’s far-right Rassemblement Nationale (RN) would win.

But early projections as the first estimates rolled in provoked cries of joy among the French Greens, communists, Socialists and the far left of Jean-Luc Mélenchon — and tears of despair at Le Pen’s electoral soirée. 

The clearest outcome so far is that despite the biggest haul of seats in its history — 143 of the 577-seat Assemblée Nationale — the RN was the night’s big loser, potentially coming third, while no single party or coalition was close enough to a majority to govern alone. 

Tactical dropouts in the run-off among candidates in Macron’s centrist bloc and those of the leftwing proved an effective barrier to the far right — to the chagrin of RN leaders and supporters, who downed champagne in consolation at a Paris party that had been laid on as a celebration. 

“Depriving millions of French people of seeing their hopes carried will never be a viable choice for France,” said the RN’s Jordan Bardella, who at one point was fancied as the potential future prime minister. 

Early this morning, the leftwing Nouveau Front Populaire was set to win 180 seats. That’s also far from the 289 outright majority needed to pass laws in parliament, but swings momentum firmly into the leftwing camp.

Firebrand Mélenchon of the leftist France Insoumise party called on Macron to admit his defeat and appoint a leftwing prime minister. 

“We are determined to put into action our programme of change,” Green party leader Marine Tondelier said.

The week ahead will bring much jockeying and potentially more surprises. Prime Minister Gabriel Attal has offered up his resignation; the left will have to show its electoral coalition can foster consensus on next steps and potential leadership choices. It will be time for some clarification from Macron too. 

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Reset

The UK’s new Labour government has lost no time in starting to reheat relations with EU governments, as foreign minister David Lammy toured Germany, Poland and Sweden immediately after taking office, writes Andy Bounds.

Context: New Labour Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer opposed the UK leaving the EU in the 2016 referendum. He has promised closer ties with the EU after defeating the Conservatives in Thursday’s election.

Over the weekend, Lammy visited three of the UK’s closest allies, who all value its role in Nato and providing weapons and aid to Ukraine.

Germany’s foreign minister Annalena Baerbock hailed the visit on X, saying that “the United Kingdom is an indispensable part of Europe” and that Germany wants to collaborate “to see how the UK can move closer to the EU”.

Ursula von der Leyen, the European Commission president, spoke to Starmer on Friday and said they would work to “reset the relationship”.

Lammy has already been invited to September’s foreign affairs ministers meeting in Brussels.

Lammy told the Guardian newspaper yesterday that he wanted a wide-ranging security deal with Brussels, preferably enshrined in a declaration. “I’m very keen for us to get to a place where we’ve got structured dialogue with the EU, so I hope we can arrive at that,” he said.

However, both Lammy and Starmer have made it clear the UK would not rejoin the EU single market or form a customs union, limiting just how close the new ties can become.

After a call yesterday with Josep Borrell, the EU’s chief diplomat, Lammy said he “look[s] forward to strengthening UK-EU cooperation”.

What to watch today

1. New Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof meets EU officials in Brussels.

2. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy visits Poland.

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