Relations between Bruno Le Maire and several members of the majority are deteriorating. “He plays the whistleblower on public finances while he is Minister of the Economy” we could hear.
This Friday, April 26, the rating agencies Fitch and Moody’s must give their annual opinions on France’s debt rating. On the front line facing the deterioration of public finances, the Minister of the Economy Bruno Le Maire must already face an increase in the public deficit for 2024. Figures which were not foreseen in the roadmap of the tenant of Bercy. Indeed, France has indicated that it anticipates a public deficit of 5.1% of GDP for 2024, above the 4.4% initially forecast. An estimate which will require finding an additional 10 billion euros this year, in addition to the 10 billion euros in savings already announced last February.
As a reminder, in 2023, the deficit forecast by Bercy was 4.9% of GDP, it finally reached 5.5% of GDP due to lower than expected revenue. Results which plunge Bruno Le Maire into a certain slump. A tension that would be felt even in the majority. The latter would appear as “a little tense” and “isolated” according to the words of one of his colleagues, reports France Info. So, a further downgrade of France’s debt rating could have significant consequences for the Minister of the Economy who has been in office for 7 years. “The public image of Bruno Le Maire was built on the figure of budgetary seriousness. The consequences would be symbolic for the head of state, but also his minister” specifies political scientist Bruno Cauvrai in the columns of France Info, this Friday.
A communication that no longer passes
It is clear that relations between Bruno Le Maire and the Renaissance deputies are experiencing some turbulence. Invited to 20 Hours on TF1, Tuesday April 23, the Minister of the Economy notably mentioned the simplification of pay slips. In fact, the latter would not have warned the deputies of the majority of his appearance on the television news less than an hour before his intervention, during an audio conference “to which they had only been invited the same morning ” reveals France Info. A behavior that annoys Macronie.
“He does not want to share with us, so this generates frustration, anger and a form of protest in the group” confides a Renaissance MP to the media. Disagreements with several parliamentarians therefore seem to be increasing. “As soon as he’s there, he creates tension with the majority. He’s out of breath. Every time, it’s tense. He rejects us. The answer is always no ” concedes a Macronist deputy to France Info.
“Her speaking engagements are one point less per week for Valérie Hayer”
In the majority, some do not hesitate to describe his strategy as “messy”. “He plays the whistleblower on public finances while he is Minister of the Economy. He leaks his desire to make a PLFR, then the president hits him and he returns to the doghouse” confides a close friend from the President of the Republic to France Info.
Others finally judge that the media outings of the tenant of Bercy harm Renaissance’s campaign for the European elections. “Her speeches are one point less per week for Valérie Hayer” says a ministerial advisor, comments relayed by France Info. Between a delicate position in the polls, more than ten points from the RN list led by Jordan Bardella less than two months from the Europeans, and the strained relations between Bruno Le Maire and the majority, the next few weeks promise to be busy in Macronie.