The leader of the Les Républicains deputies Laurent Wauquiez affirmed on Wednesday January 21 that he “wouldn’t it be serious to bring down the government” in the current international context, ruling out censorship of the executive of Sébastien Lecornu on the part of the fifty LR deputies.
“In the international context of danger which is that of France and the threat of a trade war, it would not be serious to bring down the government and leave France without a budget”declared Laurent Wauquiez before the Association of Parliamentary Journalists (AJP).
He denied that this budget was “socialist”, as stated by the president of his party, Bruno Retailleau. “It’s not a socialist budget, it’s not a right-wing budget. It is a budget which is the result of a political situation full of storms, in which there is no majority in our National Assembly”he explained.
Laurent Wauquiez estimated that the parliamentary work of the right had made it possible to avoid “tax heresy” of the initial draft budget, while recognizing that the version adopted by 49.3 was “imperfect”. In his eyes, the “big black spot in this budget” is the lack of savings on expenses and “weight placed on large companies”.
Call for unity on the right
Laurent Wauquiez severely attacked David Lisnard, the LR mayor of Cannes, who on Tuesday called on right-wing elected officials to bring down the government, including MP Alexandra Martin, who wears the colors of her Nouvelle Energie party within the LR parliamentary group, promised to vote for censure.
“Those who want to censor or not to censor, the best way is to have the courage to stand in the legislative elections”said the deputy for Haute-Loire, referring to the president of the Association of Mayors of France (AMF). David Lisnard is a candidate for re-election in Cannes in March and has announced that he will run for president next year, if the right-wing primary he wants is not organized.
In this regard, Laurent Wauquiez reiterated his call for a “primary of the broad right”, from the macronist Gérald Darmanin to Sarah Knafo (Reconquête), admitting to meeting a lot of people on this subject “right-wing personalities” at the moment and citing among the “young talents” the government spokesperson, Maud Bregeon (Renaissance), and the ministers Vincent Jeanbrun and Sébastien Martin, both LR.
Quoting Edouard Philippe by name, he said that if he were in his place, he would be “the first champion of the rally of the right”. “Because there, I think the French would understand what he wants to do”he continued.
Returning to the international situation and Donald Trump’s threats on Greenland, he gave his support “what French diplomacy is doing at the moment”believing that the country “needs unity” in this context. “There can be no European submission to Donald Trump”he said, while calling on the European Union to “stop offering a free entry ticket” in the United States and China on the European market.
