With Prime Minister Michel Barnier coming from the right, the Republicans party imagines that it can settle into the Ministry of the Interior. And the name of Senator Bruno Retailleau is regularly put forward for the post.
On the right, there is no shortage of names of political figures willing to be appointed ministers in Michel Barnier’s government. But there is one that comes up more than the others: Bruno Retailleau. The president of the Les Républicains (LR) group in the Senate is a heavyweight on the right and was received, as such, by the Prime Minister alongside Gérard Larcher, president of the Senate, and Laurent Wauquiez, leader of the LR group of deputies. But Bruno Retailleauunlike his two colleagues – the first already occupies the third highest office in the State and the second is preparing for the next presidential election -, could join the executive. What is more, he could be appointed to a leading ministry according to rumors heard by Politico.
Three portfolios are put forward by the forecasters cited by The Point for the possible nomination of Bruno Retailleau: the Interior, Justice and the Economy. The Ministry of the Interior, however, appears to be the favorite against the Justice portfolio for which the senator from Vendée appears too right-wing, and against that of the Economy which seems to be the hot potato that no one wants as the 2025 budget vote approaches.
If the appointment of Bruno Retailleau to the ministry of Place Beauvau is being considered by some, it is because it makes sense on the right. The Republicans who see one of their own landing at Matignon want to seize the opportunity to lead their policy in their areas and their favorite subjects, starting with security and immigration. Prime Minister Michel Barnier has cited these two points among his priorities and should, barring any surprises, appoint a personality leaning more towards the right to the Interior, in accordance with his line.
Retailleau, defender of a harder right
Bruno Retailleau, described as a representative of the hard right, could be the guarantor of a more right-wing policy at Beauvau. The senator had notably participated in writing the toughened version and adopted of the immigration law at the end of 2023, before the contributions of his group were largely censored by the Constitutional Council. “The State has lost control” judged Bruno Retailleau in an interview published on the LR party website : he “can no longer enforce his laws, protect those who serve them, contain uncontrolled immigration, control the neighborhoods where weapons of war are used, [..] nor to secure its prisons”. He also held Gérald Darmanin and Eric Dupont-Moretti, the resigning Ministers of the Interior and Justice, as responsible as Emmanuel Macron.
As a potential Minister of the Interior, he would satisfy the LR group, but could also receive the support of the extreme right on these issues. However, since the National Rally could at any time overthrow the Barnier government by voting a motion of censure, the Prime Minister has an interest in not alienating it. Conversely, pursuing a less harsh policy on security would not be enough to attract the support of the left half of the political spectrum, which is already promising to censure the Barnier government.
So is Bruno Retailleau already assured of being offered the Ministry of the Interior? The Prime Minister apparently did not start contacting the potential ministers on Monday, September 9, taking care first to finish his consultations with the political forces. But if the senator from Vendée did indeed have the Prime Minister’s preference for Beauvau, would he agree to swap his seat as senator, which he has occupied without interruption since 2004, for a place in the government? The politician could lose out depending on the lifespan of the Barnier government, but he would be assured of regaining his seat at the Luxembourg Palace. Since Bruno Retailleau probably has no presidential ambitions, participating in a government now would not ruin his chances of victory later. The door therefore remains open.