"As Bayrou gambles on austerity, far right weighs 'chaos narrative for maximum electoral advantage'

France's minority government looked increasingly likely to be ousted next month after three main opposition parties said they would not back a confidence vote which Prime Minister Francois Bayrou announced for September 8 over his plans for sweeping budget cuts. The far-right National Rally, the Greens and later the Socialists, on whose vote Bayrou's fate largely lies, said they did not see how they could back him. If he loses the confidence vote in the National Assembly, Bayrou's government will fall. For in-depth analysis and a deeper perspective, FRANCE 24's Delano D'Souza welcomes Dr. Andrew Smith, Historian of modern France and Lecturer in Liberal Arts at Queen Mary University of London.