The immigration bill divides the majority camp more than ever. And while several ministers have put their resignation in the balance, the question of a ministerial reshuffle arises.
“I have not discussed it with them, but I do not imagine it for a single moment,” reacted Tuesday afternoon the Minister of the Interior Gérald Darmanin from the Salle des Quatre-Colonnes, at the National Assembly , while he was questioned about the threat of resignation of certain ministers from the left wing of the majority if the text was too harsh. After rejection by the National Assembly even before its study at the Palais Bourbon, the bill on immigration was sent to the Joint Commission (CMP). After tough negotiations, an agreement was finally reached on Tuesday. But this was not done without numerous concessions from the majority camp which had to give in on several points to satisfy the Republicans, who wanted a tougher text, as did the National Rally (RN ).
While Marine Le Pen has already announced that the RN deputies would indeed vote for this text on Tuesday evening in the Assembly, the Macron camp is more divided than ever. On the afternoon of December 19, Le Figaro thus revealed that behind the scenes, several ministers have put their resignation on the table. Clément Beaune (Transport), Aurélien Rousseau (Health), Patrice Vergriete (Housing) and Sylvie Retailleau (Higher Education) would thus be ready to leave the government if the text was adopted by Parliament this Tuesday.
A loyal and legitimate man in economics at Matignon to save the five-year term?
The tension is therefore at its peak. And while the majority camp is disintegrating, the threat of a reshuffle seems more than ever to hang over the Borne government. According to a leading witness to the Borne-Macron relationship who spoke on Sunday in the columns of JDD, the executive couple would be in trouble and only a “change at Matignon, with a sort of new deal that shakes things up” could save the end of the five-year term. So who would replace Élisabeth Borne if the current Prime Minister ultimately had to pay the price for her Minister of the Interior, Emmanuel Macron having in fact refused the resignation of Gérald Darmanin last week?
For the Sunday newspaper, after pensions and immigration, full employment could be the ultimate solution envisaged by Emmanuel Macron to save his five-year term. And who better than a loyal man, but also respected and above all legitimate in economics to take over the reins of Matignon? If the name of Bruno Le Maire is mentioned by certain observers, echoed by JDDfor the moment, however, everything remains only speculation.