Former French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe Proposes New Centre-Right Bloc to Block Far-Right Surge

At a rally in Tourcoing, former prime minister Edouard Philippe called for the creation of a new political formation that would merge centre and right-leaning forces to block Marine Le Pen’s rise ahead of the parliamentary elections following the presidential contest. He outlined a strategy of presenting a single candidate in each district under a common banner to build a governing majority, emphasizing shared values such as respect for the rule of law, commitment to the EU and support for a market economy.

Philippe positioned the effort as a bulwark against both Le Pen’s nationalist populism and Jean-Luc Melenchon’s left-wing platform. The move has intensified competition with Gabriel Attal, who accused Philippe of relying on ideas from two decades ago and urged focus on winning the presidential race first. Justice minister Gérald Darmanin praised Philippe as the only figure capable of both winning the presidency and delivering a parliamentary majority.