French prime minister to face potential ousting in high-stakes confidence vote

Francois Bayrou to seek parliamentary backing for his unpopular plans to shore up France's public finances

France's embattled prime minister looks likely to be ousted and his government toppled next month in a high-stakes confidence vote that could plunge the EU's second-biggest economy into even deeper political crisis.

Francois Bayrou said on Monday that he would seek parliamentary backing for his unpopular plans to shore up France's ailing public finances on 8 September, asking deputies to confirm the scale" of spending cuts he says are needed to save 44bn (38bn) a year.