Ministers are packing up their offices. Emmanuel Macron’s government, desperate to shift the narrative and rally support ahead of its confidence vote on 8 September, is now blaming baby boomers for the financial crisis. Prime minister Bayrou is reframing the crisis as the result of decades of policies favouring older voters: generous pensions, protected benefits, early retirement – all funded at enormous cost to younger generations.

Bayrou is desperate to shift attention away from his government on the brink and onto a generational blame game for France’s slowing, debt-burdened economy

In an appearance on TF1’s main news bulletin on Wednesday night, Bayrou accused the post-war generation of driving the country into its debt spiral, saying that borrowing had been piled up ‘for the comfort

See Full Page