As he took office at the Hôtel de Matignon on Tuesday afternoon, the new prime minister sent his "most sincere thanks" to Emmanuel Macron. Alongside Élisabeth Borne, whom he officially succeeded, Gabriel Attal, 34, recalled that "the youngest president of the Republic in history (Emmanuel Macron was elected at the age of 39 in 2017, editor's note) appoints the youngest prime minister in history". During his speech, the former Minister of National Education saw it as "the symbol of boldness and movement", but "above all the symbol of the trust given to young people".
It was a way of paying tribute to the position he held for a semester on rue de Grenelle, which served as a springboard for him in public opinion. "I take with me, here to Matignon, the cause of the school" which is "the mother of all battles", said Gabriel Attal to mark "a form of continuity" with his previous functions. More broadly, the new prime minister has stated his "objective to keep control of our destiny and (to) unleash our French potential". To do this, he will start by bringing together the "living forces of the country" this week.
"Tell the truth, act now"
To send a signal to the middle classes, he then had a thought for this "beating heart of our country, artisans of the greatness and strength of our French nation". These French "sometimes doubt, but I know that they also hope," said Gabriel Attal, believing that "France will never rhyme with decline". This Macronist from the beginning, a shrewd politician, summed up his method, already used in his previous positions: "Make clear diagnoses without ever lying to the French" and "tell the truth, act without delay".
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At the end of his first speech as Prime Minister and before taking the road to Pas-de-Calais, where he is making his first trip in his capacity, Gabriel Attal had a word for Parliament. "We share the destiny of our nation," he told deputies and senators, before promising to "always listen to them, to always respect them." Without an absolute majority in the National Assembly or the Senate, the new majority leader will inevitably have to deal with parliamentary opposition. His speech ended with a tribute to all the prime ministers of the Macron presidency, including Jean Castex, who is said to have made him discover "the importance of friendship in politics".