Marine Le Pen, the leader of the National Rally party in France, said today that Prime Minister Michel Barnier should make more concessions on the budget to avoid a vote of no confidence that could topple his government. Le Pen gave Barnier until Monday to respond to the National Rally's demands on the budget, and warned that her party would support a vote of no confidence if he fails to do so. In an interview with the newspaper Le Tribune, Le Pen said: "Voting against (the government) is not a foregone conclusion. All Barnier has to do is accept negotiations." She added: "We had talks over the past two weeks, but it's clear that things haven't gone as we had hoped." Despite Barnier's backtrack last week on a planned increase in electricity taxes, the National Rally is also demanding a pension increase in line with inflation, while Barnier had planned to raise it by less than the rate of inflation to reduce spending. The National Rally is also opposed to the government's plan to increase the gas tax and is demanding a reduction in France's contribution to the European Union budget, as well as other demands. The tension is likely to peak on Monday if Barnier is forced to use his constitutional powers to pass a social security financing bill, which would prompt the left to push forward with a vote of no confidence against the government. To avoid a vote in the divided National Assembly, Barnier must ensure that the National Rally does not vote against him, or his government and the budget bill will be at risk of collapse.
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