Macron powerless to halt ally’s resignation

EMMANUEL MACRON’S grip on the French presidency looked increasingly shaky yesterday after he was forced to accept the resignation of his interior minister, one of his closest allies.

In the latest humiliating blow to France’s centrist president, who is enduring a torrid return from the summer recess, Gérard Collomb, 71, left office yesterday, just 24 hours after Mr Macron refused to allow him to quit.

He was officially replaced by Edouard Philippe, the prime minister.

Mr Collomb, a pillar of the Macron administration, had let it be known that he planned to resign in May to run for his old job as mayor of Lyon. But he came under pressure to step down immediately as critics argued it was untenable to run such a powerful ministry while preparing to campaign.

“Considering the rumours and the

‘Considering the rumours and pressure, I don’t want the fact I will be a candidate to affect the way forward’

pressure, I don’t want the fact I will be a candidate to affect the way forward,” he said.

His announcement setting the countdown to his departure had already been seen as a direct challenge to the authority of Mr Macron, some 31 years his junior.

Under the French constitution, the president names and removes ministers on instruction from the premier, not ministers themselves.

Seeking to regain the upper hand on Monday, Mr Macron’s office said the president had vetoed the resignation. But the following day, Mr Collomb insisted he still intended to resign, throwing the government into crisis.

Overnight, the Elysée finally announced that the president had accepted the resignation.

Mr Collomb’s departure is the latest in a string of setbacks for Mr Macron, whose approval ratings are languishing at around 34 per cent.