Macron uses special powers to force through plan to raise pension age

Chaotic scenes in French parliament as radical left MPs sing La Marseillaise to drown out prime minister

• Why are pensions such a political flashpoint in France?

The French government has used controversial special constitutional powers to force through a rise in the pension age amid chaotic scenes in parliament in which radical left MPs sang La Marseillaise at the top of their voices to stop the prime minister, Elisabeth Borne, from speaking.

The president, Emmanuel Macron, took a last-minute decision to avoid a parliamentary vote and instead push through his unpopular plan to raise the pension age from 62 to 64.