Sébastien Lecornu

On 3 October 2025, Lecornu had solemnly announced that he would not use Article 49.3 for the 2026 budget, saying that the government should not 'force matters through' and that he wanted to restore Parliament's influence. After more than three months of deadlock and approximately 350 hours of debate, he changed his position on 20 January 2026 and invoked the government's responsibility on the revenue section before again using Article 49.3 to complete adoption of the budget.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Political responsibility

The Ecologists tabled a no-confidence motion against the Lecornu government, accusing the executive of inadequate preparation for and response to a severe heatwave. Available data subsequently indicated 2,025 excess deaths during the episode. The debate concerned preventive measures, adaptation to climate change and governmental responsibility.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Political responsibility

Weeks before presentation of the 2027 budget, internal information about possible tax measures, particularly concerning employee savings schemes, was leaked to the press, triggering immediate reactions from employers, the opposition and some allies. Lecornu referred the matter to judicial authorities so that an investigation could identify the source of the leaks, considering that premature publication of working proposals could disrupt economic activity and undermine confidence.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Protagonist is the complainant

In a letter to business leaders, Lecornu confirmed that the exceptional contribution on the profits of very large companies would not disappear in the 2027 budget but would be reduced. Partially retaining a tax designed to be temporary, when employers were calling for its expiry and earlier promises had raised expectations of abolition, forced Matignon to undertake a damage-limitation exercise with businesses.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Political responsibility

In July 2024, Libération revealed an alleged secret dinner between Lecornu and Marine Le Pen at Thierry Solère's home, said to have taken place on 16 March. Lecornu strongly denied this account and maintained that he was in Eure that day. A few months later, his associates nevertheless confirmed to Le Monde that two discreet meetings with Marine Le Pen had occurred, including a dinner at Solère's home before the European elections, notably to discuss Ukraine, but not on the date initially reported.

Attribution

Political responsibility

Appointed Prime Minister in September 2025 amid severe parliamentary fragmentation, Lecornu resigned in early October following a crisis triggered in particular by the composition of the government. Emmanuel Macron then reappointed him Prime Minister on 10 October. This exceptional sequence fuelled criticism of executive instability and the government's ability to build a majority.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Political responsibility

Press revelations indicated that Eurolinks had shipped M27 links to Israel for assembling machine-gun ammunition belts. The affair prompted accusations from the opposition that France was continuing to supply Israel's war effort in Gaza despite government statements about export controls.

State of the evidence

Disputed

Attribution

Political responsibility

The Parquet national financier investigated for four years a possible conflict of interest linked to Lecornu's simultaneous roles in 2016 and 2017 as president of the Eure departmental council and board member of the Société des autoroutes Paris-Normandie. Investigators were particularly interested in attendance fees and certain decisions concerning SAPN. Lecornu was questioned as a suspect without being detained in 2021 and repaid €7,874 corresponding to the fees received.

Attribution

Directly implicated

As Overseas Minister, Lecornu played a central role in preparing the third referendum on New Caledonia's independence. The government scheduled the vote for 12 December 2021 while acknowledging that the date lacked consensus. Following the arrival of COVID in the territory, pro-independence groups requested a postponement and then called for non-participation. The executive maintained the date, and the vote took place amid a widespread boycott, fuelling enduring controversy over its political legitimacy.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Political responsibility