This evening French television broadcasts a live debate between prime minister Gabriel Attal and Jordan Bardella. The president of the National Rally is on course for a spectacular victory in the European elections on 9 June, but Emmanuel Macron hopes that his Boy Wonder might be able to close the gap tonight with a strong performance.
One of Attal’s few lines of attack will be Russia
When Macron nominated Attal his PM in January, he was dubbed the ‘anti-Bardella’ choice. His predecessor, the eye-wateringly dull Elisabeth Borne, had by her age and Socialist bent, enabled the 28-year-old Bardella to cultivate an image of the coming man, appealing to the youth and older conservative voters. Attal is only seven years Bardella’s senior and has more robust views on law and order than Borne.
One of Attal’s few lines of attack will be Russia, and the National Rally’s soft spot for Vladimir Putin in the decade before he invaded Ukraine.
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