Macron targeted by abusive calls and texts

EMMANUEL MACRON was bombarded with often abusive text messages and late night calls after one of his mobile phone numbers was published online, the French president’s aides said yesterday.

It was made public “about 12 days ago” following the theft of a reporter’s phone containing one of Mr Macron’s numbers from when he served as economy minister in François Hollande’s government.

Mr Macron, whose popularity has plunged over the past three months, has three mobile phones.

“The number that was leaked was one of Emmanuel Macron’s two personal mobiles, not the one he uses for presidential business,” an aide said. “He only used it for personal calls not considered sensitive.”

The third Elysée phone, which is encrypted and secure, was given to him when he took office in May.

The magazine Challenges, which revealed the leak, quoted a senior government minister as joking that ministers might be able to get more sleep. Mr Macron is known for making calls and sending messages late at night and early in the morning.

♦ France’s once powerful conservative party, The Republicans, may be forced to sell their £35million 10-storey Paris headquarters three months after their parliamentary election rout.

The party of the former president, Nicolas Sarkozy, has suffered a sharp fall in state funding, which depends on their number of MPS, after losing half their parliamentary seats, and overspending has left them with debts of nearly £50million.