The government in turmoil because of the immigration law

The immigration law was passed by the National Rally, a hard blow for the government.

“The announcement of the RN vote sent everyone into a tailspin,” according to an advisor, with a government that is faltering. To the point of seeing ministers threatening to slam the door: Aurélien Rousseau in Health, Patrice Vergriete in Housing, Sylvie Retailleau in Higher Education. The pill is also hard to swallow for Rima Abdul Malak in Culture, Roland Lescure in Industry, Clément Beaune. The Minister of Transport also organized a dinner Tuesday evening at his home with Roland Lescure, Sylvie Retailleau and Patrice Vergriete, and then all four of them went to see Élisabeth Borne in Matignon.

Serious threats or simple pressure? Difficult to say because everything is extremely moving. Some are still thinking. And their colleagues don’t see any more clearly: “It is very serious”, some say, it was “bluff to remove the text”, assure others. Speculation is rife with as many answers as there are people you ask: “He’s sure, he’s going to leave.”, “but no, so-and-so will never do it, on the other hand I’m banking on so-and-so“. Atmosphere, some blind ministerial advisors even fishing for information from journalists.

“This immigration law, a failure across the board”

In any case, the pressure worked since Emmanuel Macron made it known early in the evening that if the text passed thanks to the votes of the RN he would request a new deliberation. But since then, there have been quarrels over calculations: in Beauvau they assure that it happened without the votes of the RN. “They are smoking us”fumes a minister. “We consider that if the RN abstained it would pass”, replies an advisor, a theory that does not convince many people. Overall, no one in government is really comfortable with what is happening.

“It’s hard hard”, admits an advisor. But a member of the government invites his colleagues not to “adding crisis to crisis would mean falling into the crude trap of the RN” while, according to him, “all energy must be devoted to denouncing the imposture of Marine Le Pen’s party”, who, just a few hours ago, considered this text as a call for inspiration for immigration with regularization of undocumented workers. This is what the government is now focusing on. “The RN is smart, we don’t have to fall for it,” insists another minister. Coincidence of the calendar: the government’s Christmas dinner around Élisabeth Borne, with the spouses, is planned for Wednesday evening in Matignon. According to a ministerial advisor, “it might be a grimace soup”. With one question: how long will this government team be in place? “It can’t stay like thisbets a Macronist tenor, because this immigration law is a failure across the board.”