Former Brexit negotiator named new French PM
French President Emmanuel Macron appointed Michel Barnier, the European Union's former Brexit negotiator, as prime minister on Thursday and tasked him with forming a new government, hoping to end weeks of political deadlock after he called a snap election that delivered an unwieldy hung parliament. Barnier will have the daunting challenge of trying to push reforms, and the 2025 budget, through a hung parliament, at a time when France is under pressure from the European Commission and bond markets to reduce its deficit. Macron's gamble to call the snap parliamentary election in June backfired, with his centrist coalition losing dozens of seats and no party winning an absolute majority. The left's New Popular Front alliance came first but Macron ruled out asking them to form a government after other parties said they would immediately vote it down. (Reuters)