Friday briefing: France’s government has collapsed – now the chaos begins
Good morning. The French prime minister, Michel Barnier, resigned yesterday, after far-right and leftist lawmakers joined forces to topple his government on Wednesday, only three months after it had taken office. Barnier and his government will stay on in a caretaker capacity, taking care of day-to-day business until the appointment of a new government, the Élysée said in a statement.
The end of Barnier’s government – the first to fall from a no-confidence vote in France in more than 60 years – has plunged the country into political crisis and turned Barnier, a veteran politician who was formerly the European Union’s Brexit negotiator, into the shortest serving prime minister in modern French history.
The country’s president, Emmanuel Macron, addressed the nation last night, saying: “You have given me a democratic mandate of five years and I’ll carry it out fully until its term”. Today’s newsletter is about what happened – and what may come next. First, here are the headlines.
Five big stories
Labour | Keir Starmer accused Whitehall of becoming comfortable with failure as he challenged civil servants to hit a series of new policy targets. In a speech widely seen as an attempted re-launch, Starmer set out six “milestone” goals including building 1.5m homes in England and putting the UK “on track” for 95% clean power by 2030.
Health | The NHS is facing a “quad-demic” of health emergencies as it heads into winter, with hospitals “busier than ever” for this time of year, the health service’s most senior doctor has said. Cases of flu, Covid, norovirus and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) are all on the rise.
US politics | The US House of Representatives has voted 206-198 to block the release of a long-awaited report on allegations of sexual misconduct against former member Matt Gaetz. Gaetz, who recently withdrew from consideration to be Donald Trump’s attorney general, is said to be considering a bid to be governor of Florida.
South Korea | The South Korean president, Yoon Suk Yeol, could put citizens in “great danger” if he is not suspended, the head of the ruling party said on Friday, increasing the likelihood that parliament will vote to impeach Yoon over Tuesday’s failed martial law declaration.
US news | The New York police department has issued a fresh image showing the face of a man suspected of shooting and killing the UnitedHealthcare CEO, Brian Thompson. The manhunt continued and police appeared to be closing in on the fugitive as key new clues surfaced.