France’s prime minister has quit after losing a confidence vote that toppled his government, plunging the country into a new political crisis.

Foreign nationals are blamed for the incident, which has striking similarities with other recent provocations.

The root of the latest expected government collapse was Macron's stunning decision to dissolve the National Assembly in June 2024.

France's finances and politics are in turmoil. President Emmanuel Macron has just appointed his fourth prime minister in 12 months, the deficit is out of control, borrowing costs are rising and parliament can’t muster a majority to tackle spending.

European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde played down a jump in French bond yields amid concerns around the country's fiscal position and renewed political drama. In a news conference following the ECB's Governing Council meeting,

The French far-right leader Marine Le Pen has condemned the latest arson attack against a church in northern France, saying there is "exponential violence targeting Catholics" and accusing her opponents of silence.

President Emmanuel Macron has named close ally Sébastien Lecornu as new French prime minister, 24 hours after a vote of confidence ousted François Bayrou as head of his government. Lecornu was among the favourites to take over the job,

Connecting decision makers to a dynamic network of information, people and ideas, Bloomberg quickly and accurately delivers business and financial information, news and insight around the world Who then is Lecornu and what has been the reaction so far politically to his nomination?