In today’s newsletter: The embattled president rejected the leftwing candidate for the role – so what happens now?
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Good morning. Almost two months after a parliamentary election that left no one bloc with a majority, France is still without a prime minister. Yesterday, Emmanuel Macron, the president, started a new round of consultations on who he will appoint – after rejecting the left’s candidate Lucie Castets, whose politics are significantly out of line with the more centrist-leaning coalition that he would like to see take charge.
But the leftwing parties that form the largest bloc, the New Popular Front (NFP), are refusing to participate. The Greens’ leader, Marine Tondelier, said yesterday that the NFP would reject any government that is not on the left. “How is it possible that we have reached such denial of democracy?” she asked. “We are in the process of having this election stolen from us.”
Brexit | Keir Starmer has promised to “turn a corner on Brexit” and rebuild productive relationships with EU member states in advance of a flying visit to Berlin for talks with the German chancellor, Olaf Scholz. The trip follows his warning on Tuesday that a “painful” budget lies ahead in October.
Vaping | Vapes should only be sold from “behind the counter”, like cigarettes, and not be on display in shops, the British Medical Association has said. In a report published on Wednesday, the doctors’ union called on ministers to introduce legislation to tackle the “growing epidemic” of vaping in the UK.
US elections | Kamala Harris and Tim Walz will sit for their first interview as the Democratic ticket on Thursday, after weeks of pressure from Republicans and members of the media. The interview will be broadcast on CNN from the battleground state of Georgia.
Youth justice | Children who took part in the recent riots should only be prosecuted as “a last resort”, the head of the body that oversees the youth justice system in England and Wales has said. 58 juveniles – aged 10 to 17 – had been charged with criminal offences by 15 August.
Music | After Oasis confirmed yesterday that they would reunite for a UK and Ireland tour, Noel and Liam Gallagher stand to earn about £50m each from the reunion, an analysis by Birmingham City University said. Tickets for the initial 14 dates on offer are expected to sell out within minutes.
“In the absence of any other obvious possibility, it would have been in the interest of democracy for the president to allow the experiment to unfold instead of trying to assert control at all costs in the hope of preserving his policy for as long as possible, even after it has been outvoted. It is harmful to drag out an outgoing government, which acts as if no change had taken place at the ballot box.”
