His party created, Édouard Philippe now wants to recruit ... ideally in his former camp.
In an interview with Figaro, the former Prime Minister dashes Les Républicains, of which he was a member before returning to Matignon, and sharply criticizes his candidates for the primary.
"What seems extravagant to me is LR's ability to present a succession of measures that would apply immediately, without looking at either the long term or the international context," he laments.
Right in his boots, the former Prime Minister seems to want to register on the right, while keeping one foot in the center. "There are five candidates (for the Republicans' primary) (...) who give the impression of racing for the one who will be the most to the right, the most affirmative, the most voluntary", deplores the current mayor of Le Havre . “This is why I have the impression that apart from Eric Ciotti, who is the most coherent and the most constant, any other candidate invested by the LR congress will refocus his speech fairly quickly…” he estimates.
Asked about the stubbornness of Republicans on issues related to immigration and security, the former prime minister is critical.
“That immigration and security are serious subjects and cause some form of worry or fear, it is obvious.
From there to reducing all the public debate to these subjects, I refuse.
"And the former Prime Minister to deplore that" LR lacks (a) depth of field "on these subjects.
"The LR candidates adopt a tone that some of them criticized until recently," he also laments, citing Xavier Bertrand, leaving and then returning to the party to run for the primary.
"I no longer recognize myself in their proposals"
The Republicans more to the right "than five years ago", when "we were making decisions about programmatic choices by more than 4 million voters from the right and the center", Édouard Philippe wants to take advantage of the space left free for impose his new party, Horizons, which will support Emmanuel Macron next year (and integrate the “common house” of the majority).
“I have esteem for many of the LR candidates in this primary and I know they are sincerely in love with France.
But I no longer recognize myself in some of their proposals or in their choices, "said the former Prime Minister, denouncing" systematic opposition ".
And to launch: "To all those who, coming from the right and the center, want to go beyond the old devices and serve their country, I obviously say welcome!
"