Bruno Retailleau, a staunch conservative opponent of Emmanuel Macron, appointed Interior Minister

The leader of the Republican senators lands at Beauvau, replacing Gérald Darmanin. A supporter of François Fillon in 2017, he demonstrated against same-sex marriage at the start of Hollande’s five-year term.

It is a heavyweight personality, experienced in negotiations with parliamentarians, who is arriving in the government, in one of the most exposed ministries. A member of the Republicans, Bruno Retailleau was appointed on Saturday, September 21, Minister of the Interior in Michel Barnier’s government, the composition of which was revealed after long and bitter discussions. He succeeds Gérald Darmanin, who had held the post since July 2020, in a new configuration of the executive that leans more to the right.

From Place Beauvau, opposite the Elysée, the leader of the LR senators since 2014 will have to apply the policy defended by Michel Barnier. Which is defined, in terms of internal affairs, by greater firmness with regard to delinquency, but by an intention to “controlling migratory flows with concrete measures”as the head of government defended on TF1 on September 6.

There is no doubt that Bruno Retailleau should be comfortable with this course. The Vendéen, long close to Philippe de Villiers, is for example in favour of the reinstatement of minimum sentences introduced by Nicolas Sarkozy and abolished under François Hollande. Another measure desired by the parliamentarian: the abolition of family allowances in the event of the conviction of a minor. “Authority is like Archimedes’ thrust, it is proportional to what is in front of it.”he stressed during the presentation of the LR legislative pact, after the legislative elections.

In terms of immigration, this firmness claimed in all directions was embodied by a bill, tabled in June 2023, intended to “regain control of immigration, integration and asylum policy”much firmer than the initial bill defended by the government. After a hardening of the text of the former majority, and the censorship of certain articles by the Constitutional Council, the elected official had denounced “a denial of democracy”before tabling a bill for greater firmness.

In the summer of 2023, Bruno Retailleau caused controversy by making a “link” between immigration and the riots sparked by Nahel’s death. “Certainly, they are French, but they are French by their identity”the leader of the LR senators had then estimated. “Unfortunately for the second, third generation [les descendants d’immigrés]there is a kind of regression towards ethnic origins.” The left had accused him of defending a thesis “racialist”.

This former member of the Movement for France (MPF) embodies the most conservative line of his party. He notably demonstrated against marriage for all in 2013, and opposed the ban on conversion therapies, aimed at changing a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity. A position assumed and claimed, notably during his campaign for the presidency of the party, at the end of 2022. “Against educational delusions, we want programs focused on fundamental knowledge and school uniforms”he had detailed to mark his difference with Eric Ciotti, who had beaten him.

He was also opposed to the inclusion of abortion in the Constitution, believing that this right was not under threat in France. “This is a debate that came from the United States, and American debates do not have to be imported into the national territory”he justified on franceinfo.

A few months before assuming “to carry out a policy of civilization” To run for the presidency of his party, Bruno Retailleau refused to choose, in the second round of the 2022 presidential election, between Emmanuel Macron and Marine Le Pen. “No votes for Marine Le Pen, no agreement with Emmanuel Macron. (…) The right is not soluble in Macronism”he explained then to West France.

Although he had contrasted with other voices in LR, this positioning had hardly surprised this former supporter of François Fillon for the 2017 presidential election. The official, holding a very right-wing line within his party, has never spared Emmanuel Macron and the central bloc since the advent of Macronism. Last June, the Vendéen pointed “Emmanuel Macron’s record today and that of this central bloc” with “1,000 billion additional debt since 2017”The LR senator has continued to criticize the migration policy of the former majority, which according to him participated in “the explosion” of insecurity in France.

Before the actual appointment of Bruno Retailleau to the government, rumours about his arrival triggered unrest within the presidential coalition. “This is old France. They voted against all the issues we have developed on women’s rights.”Ludovic Mendes denounced on BFMTV on Friday. The deputy Ensemble pour la République de Moselle also mentioned the case of Laurence Garnier, expected to join the Ministry of the Family. “Bruno Retailleau at the Interior: great vigilance”also tweeted Anne Genetet, appointed Minister of National Education. Within the government, the cohabitation between the presidential coalition and LR could turn into mutual distrust.