Sebastien Lecornu in Paris last week.

French President Emmanuel Macron named loyalist Sébastien Lecornu, a one-time conservative protégé who rallied behind his 2017 presidential run, as prime minister on Tuesday, defying expectations he might tack towards the left.

The choice of Lecornu, 39, indicates Macron’s determination to press on with a minority government that stands firmly behind his pro-business economic reform agenda, under which taxes on business and the wealthy have been cut and the retirement age raised.

Macron was forced to appoint a fifth prime minister in less than two years after parliament ousted François Bayrou nine months into the role over his plans for taming the country’s ballooning debt.

In handing the job to Lecornu, Macron risks alienating the centre-left Soci

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