Macron lead over Le Pen stabilises as election scrutiny intensifies

Spotlight narrows on far-right candidate's policies while both contenders try to woo leftwing voters

Emmanuel Macron has consolidated his lead over Marine Le Pen as France's presidential race enters its final week, according to polls, suggesting harsher scrutiny of the far-right challenger's plans may be shifting the race's dynamic.

Six days from the runoff that will decide who occupies the Elysee Palace for the next five years, all 16 polls carried out since the first-round vote on 10 April have put the incumbent ahead, by between seven and 12 percentage points.