French prime minister to push 2026 budget through parliament without vote

French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu has announced he will invoke Article 49.3 of the Constitution to pass the 2026 budget bill into law without parliamentary approval. He admitted that resorting to this tool represented a ‘partial failure’ as he had promised not to do so.  But after a host of concessions the government has made, he is betting he now has enough political support, notably from the Socialists, to survive even if no-confidence motions were filed.