EU elites must not ignore French voters

YOU could almost hear the popping of champagne corks from the White Cliffs of Dover. In Brussels yesterday the elation was unbounded after the pro-EU candidate, slick former banker Emmanuel Macron, won the first round of the French presidential election, pushing Marine Le Pen into second place.

Senior officials, aware of the catastrophic impact of a Le Pen presidency on the EU (and their own jobs) even breached the convention of not interfering in national elections by supporting Mr Macron.

But with nearly half of French voters backing anti-EU candidates, what actually are they celebrating?

In fact, the result – which puts the farRight uncomfortably close to the Elysee Palace – should be a huge wake-up call for ruling elites across the continent.

In an emphatic rejection of France’s political establishment, for the first time in nearly 60 years no candidate from either of the main parties made the final round.

Miss Le Pen won 7.6million votes – the highest ever total for a far-Right candidate. Polls suggest she could win up to 40 per cent in the head-to head on May 7.

This newspaper holds no torch for Miss Le Pen and there are deeply ugly elements within the National Front party, which she distanced herself from last night. But Mr Macron and his allies in Brussels are wrong to dismiss those millions of French voters who demand tougher border and immigration controls.

Indeed, assuming he triumphs over Miss Le Pen, he would be well advised to focus on fixing the sclerotic French economy, cutting unemployment and tackling extremism, instead of issuing hollow threats to punish this country over Brexit. Before the taste of flat champagne sours…