Marine Le Pen's downfall is a gift to the National Rally

Marine Le Pen’s political career ended this morning when a Paris judge found her guilty of misusing EU funds. She was sentenced to four years’ imprisonment, two of which are suspended and two will be served under an ankle bracelet. She was also fined €100,000 (£84,000) and disbarred from politics for five years.

Few anticipated such a severe sentence – it is one that will send shockwaves not just through France but across Europe. Also convicted alongside the leader of the National Rally were 24 other party members – including eight MEPs – all found guilty of channelling €2.9 million (£2.4 million) of EU money to their own party’s coffers. The judge accepted that there had been no personal enrichment on the part of Le Pen or her co-accused, but a ‘system’ had been set up in 2009 that ran until 2016.

There will be little gloating among Le Pen’s political opponents

In an interview with a Sunday newspaper yesterday, Le Pen had conveyed an air of confidence, saying she was not ‘feverish’ about the possibility of being disbarred.