The Daily Telegraph

Macron’s poll boost:

- By Henry Samuel in Paris

EMMANUEL MACRON’S approval ratings have risen to levels not seen since before the “yellow vest” revolt erupted last autumn, with most French feeling he “rose to the occasion” over the Notre-dame fire, a poll out yesterday suggests.

The French president’s popularity plummeted last September following a tax rise on pensioners and a backlash over plans to raise fuel taxes.

According to the polling firm BVA, Mr Macron has clawed back three points in the past month and is now on 32 per cent, with six out of 10 people feeling he did a good job handling the Notre-dame inferno.

Mr Macron had been due to broadcast a key televised address on Monday night to address “yellow vest” concerns in the wake of two months of debates around the country. Leaked details of the speech suggest he was going to announce tax cuts for poor households and a boost to small pensions, among other measures.

Instead, he rushed to the famed Gothic building in central Paris and later promised to rebuild the cathedral within five years.

A poll out yesterday suggested most of the measures Mr Macron was due to announce “answered” yellow vest demands, although the vast majority were angry at his refusal to instantly reinstate a wealth tax. Mr Macron is expected to detail the measures in person next week.

The poll also found that 54 per cent of French think the yellow vest protests should be put on hold in the name of national unity over Notre-dame.

Due to the fragility of the building and the risk of violence, police are to impose a protest ban on the area around the fire-stricken building for today’s 23rd Saturday protest.

Despite this, police fear fresh protests in the French capital today, with the country’s interior minister warning “some people literally want to trash Paris”. A number of high-profile figures within the “gilets jaunes” protests have called for action, some of them expressing outrage that almost €1 billion (£865million) was donated to rebuild Notre-dame while there was no such gesture for the poor.

Yesterday, the last artworks inside the cathedral were removed with art conservati­onists confirming that none suffered major damage in the fire. In more good news, the 180,000 bees kept in hives on the monument that were thought to have perished in this week’s fire were discovered to be alive.

 ??  ?? Emmanuel Macron abandoned his ‘yellow vest’ speech to visit fire-hit Notre-dame
Emmanuel Macron abandoned his ‘yellow vest’ speech to visit fire-hit Notre-dame

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