Borne to be alive: PM survives Macron’s ‘shift to right’ amid ‘superficial series of changes’

French President Emmanuel Macron confirmed Elisabeth Borne in her role as prime minister and then reshuffled his other ministers for key domestic portfolios such as education, housing and urban affairs, as his government begins its hardline law and order response to riots that shook the country three weeks ago. Macron has been struggling to relaunch his second term in office, plagued by domestic crises including months of fierce protests over pension reform and, most recently, five days of riots over the police killing of a teenager of Algerian and Moroccan descent at a traffic stop. The most high-profile change was at the education ministry, where Pap Ndiaye, a Black studies university expert who had become a target of right-wing, conservative attacks, was replaced by budget minister Gabriel Attal, 34. Attal, a rising star among Macronistas, is France’s youngest cabinet member, and has gained a reputation as a quick-witted, politically astute loyalist. For more on Macron’s crisis-hit second term and the ensuing cabinet reshuffle, FRANCE 24’s William Hilderbrandt is joined by Paul Smith, Associate Professor in French History and Politics at the University of Nottingham.