America News Agency

Barnier, the EU's former Brexit negotiator, took office just hours after Emmanuel Macron appointed him to form a "unifying government at the service of the country" - an attempt to end two months of political paralysis following a snap election.

At 73, Barnier, the oldest prime minister in modern French history, said his first task was to "respond as best we can to the hardship, the anger, the sense of abandonment and injustice that is so widespread in our cities, our estates and our countryside".

He said the government's priorities would be education, security and controlling immigration.

Barnier's appointment was met with dismay by the left, which will now try to oust him with a motion of no confidence.

Controversially, Macron appears to be relying on Le Pen’s National Rally party to keep Barnier in power. Le Pen’s party said on Thursday that it would not automatically reject Barnier and would wait and see what programme he would put forward in his first speech to parliament.

Meanwhile, Olivier Faure of the French Socialists said no one from his party would join a government led by Michel Barnier and argued that Barnier was dependent on the far-right.

The French Greens’ Marine Tondelier said she has a message for the far right National Rally’s voters.“Those of you who think that voting for Marine Le Pen will improve your daily life, you know how much you have been deceived. She preferred a right-wing prime minister who would serve the powerful rather than an NFP [New Popular Front] prime minister who would serve your interests,” she said.