French Prime Minister François Bayrou is making a last-ditch effort to save his job, urging lawmakers expected to topple him in a confidence vote later Monday to back his plans to curb France’s debts that he said are “submerging us.”

In an impassioned speech to the National Assembly, the 74-year-old stuck to his position that France’s spiraling public deficit and mounting debts are threatening the future of the European Union’s second-largest economy. He said state debts will weigh on future generations, leave France vulnerable to foreign creditors, and undermine its cherished social safety nets if not brought under control.

“Our country works, thinks it’s getting richer but keeps getting poorer,” Bayrou said, defiantly pausing for sips of water when hecklers on the legislative benches t

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