Macron snaps back at Le Pen as France toughens migration laws - 'a shoddy move!'
Le Pen hailed Macron's bill as an 'ideological victory'
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FRENCH president Macron defended his decision to toughen immigration law in France as he seeks to bat off rising support for Marine Le Pen in the polls.
The French leader hit back at critics as he hardened his stance despite an awkward vote which saw his alliance come out on the same side as Le Pen's opposition party.
Macron has come under increased scrutiny after he won a key vote on immigration and members of his government began to resign.
Aurélien Rousseau offered his resignation in protest over a hardline immigration bill.
Emmanual Macron is facing pressure from all sides in France
PAIt came as Le Pen proclaimed the bill as an 'ideological victory.'
Support of Le Pen's opposition party for the bill surprised Macron, prompting him to accuse Le Pen of political opportunism and to add in a television interview: "That was a shoddy move."
Just six months before European Parliament elections in which immigration will be key, the bill's adoption could boost Marine Le Pen.
An Elabe poll for BFM TV showed 70% of the French backed the new bill, including 87% of Macron's supporters.
But in a sign Le Pen had won the battle of narratives in public opinion, the same poll showed 73% thought her party's ideas had inspired the bill.
Macron will refer the bill to the Constitutional Council for checks on whether it complies with the French constitution before he would sign it into law.
The council could strike down some of the tougher measures if it deems them unconstitutional.
The conservative Les Republicains, who partnered with his ruling alliance on that bill and have over the years hardened their discourse closer to that of the far-right, also claimed victory, saying the bill was essentially theirs.
The bill underscored Macron's difficulties governing without a parliamentary majority, which he lost last year, as well as the rightward shift in much of Europe as governments try to curb the rise of the far-right by being tougher on immigration.
"This bill will help us fight against what feeds the Rassemblement national," Macron said in the TV interview. "Our fellow citizens tell us we don't control illegal immigration well enough."
He said there were measures in the bill he didn't like, such as the fact foreign students will need to present a refundable deposit. He said that could be reworked.
"My work here is not done. I still have 3-1/2 years ahead of me. I can assure you, I won't stop now," he said.
The tougher rules - including migration quotas, making it harder for immigrants' children to become French citizens, and delaying migrants' access to welfare benefits - were added to the bill to win the support of right-wing lawmakers.
The bill makes it easier to expel undocumented migrants, while watering down plans to loosen curbs over residency permits for workers in labour-deprived sectors.
Those conditions caused unease among Macron's more left-leaning lawmakers, and dozens either abstained or gave it the thumbs-down in a vote on Tuesday.
Health Minister Aurelien Rousseau resigned in protest over the immigration bill. "It's not possible for me to defend this text," Rousseau, a former Communist, told Le Monde daily.
The rebellion within the government seemed to be contained as all the other left-wing ministers were present at a weekly cabinet meeting that Rousseau skipped and no other resignation had materialised by Wednesday evening.
Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne rejected talk of a crisis in Macron's camp.
"We've done our job, we wanted a text with useful measures that our citizens were calling for," she said, adding: "Now let's move on."