New French PM Barnier pledges to defend key Macron policies, hints at rightward shift

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00:00The Paralympics are over and the political pressure is on.

00:03The new Prime Minister Michel Barnier has to form a new government

00:06and questions abound over if and how he will be able to do so.

00:12Is it going well? It's going. It's very, very busy.

00:16But as I've just said, my attitude is one of humility,

00:18great humility and great determination.

00:22In his first few days, he received multiple key figures at Matignon

00:26to try and broker common ground without apparent luck.

00:29The 73-year-old conservative was chosen by President Emmanuel Macron

00:33despite his group the Republicans finishing fourth in the snap election.

00:38Many believe the move was intended to pacify the far-right National Rally Party,

00:42making them the power broker in the new government.

00:45And they are keeping a close eye on his actions.

00:50We will not give a blank check.

00:52If, as the weeks go by, the French people are once again forgotten or mistreated,

00:57we will not hesitate to censor the government.

01:00Meanwhile, tens of thousands of left-wing demonstrators took to the streets in Paris

01:04and across France on the weekend to protest what they see as a denial of democracy.

01:09The new popular front left-wing alliance, which won the most seats in the elections,

01:13has said they will vote for a motion of no confidence against the Barnier government.

01:19A decision reiterated by socialist François Hollande on Monday morning.

01:23How can we accept that the French people who wanted to get rid of the far-right,

01:31who wanted change, and that there should be no continuity with Emmanuel Macron,

01:37how do you expect us to agree?

01:39Barnier was continuing consultations throughout Monday

01:43in an attempt to navigate out of the political deadlock of his superior's making.

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