War in the Middle East: the opposition criticizes the increase in savings planned by the government

He had already announced a freeze of six billion euros in the economy, a spending freeze and credit cancellations to compensate for the impact of the war in the Middle East on our public finances. And Sébastien Lecornu suggested on Tuesday May 19 that this could go further. In the National Assembly, the Prime Minister said he planned to review this amount and update it “in times to come”.

This announcement tenses the oppositions, starting with the left. From La France insoumise to the Socialist Party, the reflex is the same: instead of cutting spending, why not look for revenue. “We have a government which requires the French to tighten their belts, but which refuses to impose on those who have the means to contribute according to their means, insists socialist deputy Arthur Delaporte. So the ultra-rich, the big oil companies continue to get richer and in the end it’s always the same people who pay.”

Matignon makes it known that the frozen amounts could be better distributed and not necessarily increased, but that doesn’t matter, the elected National Rally Jean-Philippe Tanguy shrugs his shoulders. “It’s good to talk about it. Now, we would like to know what it’s all about and above all, you will see that over the course of the year, there will be much more than six billion in savings needed. You know, there is 1.6 trillion in public spending, so there is plenty to do.”

Words feared by Charlotte Parmentier-Lecoq. The former Macronist minister believes that Sébastien Lecornu is right to tell the truth to the French. “We will have to understand that we are going to enter even more complicated times. Necessarily, this will require arbitration. We will not be able to make ‘whatever it costs’ as it was during Covid, that’s for sure.”

The Prime Minister is due to hold a press conference on Thursday on the economic consequences of the conflict in the Middle East, which is causing fuel prices to soar at the pump and increasing costs in several sectors of activity.