Censorship of the immigration law, anger of farmers, rise in the price of electricity… Xavier Bertrand’s “8h30 franceinfo”

The LR president of the Hauts-de-France region was the guest of “8h30 franceinfo”, Friday January 26, 2024.

Xavier Bertrand, president of the Republicans of the Hauts-de-France region was the guest of “8h30 franceinfo”, Friday January 26, 2024. Censorship of the law on immigration, anger of farmers, rise in the price of electricity. .. He answers questions from Jean-Rémi Baudot and Agathe Lambret.

Immigration law: “The Constitutional Council must not be the scapegoat”

“The Constitutional Council must not be the scapegoat”. The president of Les Républicains (LR) of the Hauts-de-France region reacts to the very broad censorship of the immigration law by the institution on Thursday. Nothing to do with the reactions of the leaders of his party. The president of LR, Éric Ciotti, denounces “a democratic hold-up” of the institution. “It is no longer Parliament which makes the law in this country”agrees Bruno Retailleau, leader of the LR senators.

LR “taken around by the government” with whom he made the agreement which led to the widely censored text, believes Xavier Bertrand. The executive “had this text voted on in the hope that the Constitutional Council would censor it”, he explains. He “expect, before the Europeans, that there will be two texts presented: one with the missing measures censored by the Constitutional Council and the other on state medical aid”. The Minister of the Interior, Gérald Darmanin, warned on Thursday evening on TF1: the government “will not represent a bill” on immigration.

Anger of farmers: against “green fundamentalists who teach lessons”

Xavier Bertrand denounces “the green fundamentalists who give lessons to farmers” And “who have never put on the boots to come to their farm, to listen to them”. For him, farmers “are people of common sense”. “This peasant common sense must prevail in all decisions”he says.

According to him, “the other subject, at European level”, these are the ongoing negotiations between the European Union and Mercosur, to set up a free trade agreement. They “must stop”because “we cannot ask our farmers to produce as best as possible and import meat that comes from countries like Argentina where there are products that we do not accept here”he adds.

Increase in electricity prices: “It’s the Attal tax”

“It’s the Attal tax”scathes Xavier Bertrand, while the government confirmed an increase from 8.6% to 9.8% in electricity prices on February 1. “Mr. Attal told us: ‘I want to take care of the middle classes’, I didn’t think it was by beating them to begin with”.

The president of Les Républicains des Hauts-de-France insists “we are going to increase by 10% because of a tax, and not the price of energy”. “The government told us, ‘move around, there’s nothing to see, it’s not much’”but Xavier Bertrand is outraged, “10% is twice inflation”electricity costs “44% more than two years ago, and salaries have not increased by 44%”.

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Find the entire “8:30 a.m. franceinfo” from Friday January 26, 2024: