Emmanuel Macron appoints his third prime minister in a year

Sebastien Lecornu, a presidential ally, is tasked with bringing France's divided parties together to pass a budget

Sebastien Lecornu, a close ally of Emmanuel Macron, has been appointed prime minister, tasked with consulting France's divided political parties to try to find a consensus on the budget.

The 39-year-old began his political career in the traditional rightwing party of Nicolas Sarkozy before moving to Macron's centre in 2017 and is seen as fiercely loyal to the president.