‘Michel Barnier’ Pledges Unity as French PM

Newly appointed French Prime Minister Michel Barnier pledged he would work towards more respect and unity in a politically divided country after months of political upheaval.

President Emmanuel Macron earlier appointed Barnier, the EU's former Brexit negotiator, as his new prime minister, tasking him with unifying France and ending the political paralysis that followed an inconclusive snap election.

"We will have to respond as much as we can to the challenges, to the anger to the suffering, to the feelings of abandonment, of injustice," Barnier said in his first speech in office, standing in the courtyard of the Matignon Prime Minister's office next to his predecessor, Gabriel Attal.

"Finally, we will need a lot of listening, a lot of respect. First of all, respect between the government and Parliament, respect for all political forces, I emphasize, all the political forces represented there and I am going to get to work this evening," he added.

The discreet, conservative politician will quickly face a baptism of fire as time is running out to prepare France's 2025 budget, which could trigger a vote of no confidence if parties in the bitterly divided parliament are not satisfied.

At 73, Barnier is the oldest prime minister in France's modern political history, taking over from Gabriel Attal, who was the youngest.

Also outgoing French Prime Minister, Gabriel Attal, saying "Our country is experiencing a completely unprecedented political situation. French politics are sick."

Michel Barnier can count more than 50 years in politics, but France's new prime minister is best known even in his native France as the EU’s chief negotiator in the Brexit years.

His task was to represent the European Union during talks with the UK government and he was widely praised for his attention to detail and ability to reach consensus.