The far-right leader holds the fate of the country’s government in her hands, as a battle royale over the national budget reaches its denouement and investor anxieties rise.

To survive the vote in the fractured lower house, Barnier needs Marine Le Pen's party to abstain, otherwise his government and the budget bill could fall, plunging France into a political crisis.

France’s government offered a final-hour concession to Marine Le Pen on the 2025 budget, seeking to avoid being ousted from power in a no-confidence vote that would plunge the country into financial and political uncertainty.

Marine Le Pen's National Rally party has threatened to bring down the French government today unless Prime Minister Michel Barnier makes key concessions by 2pm. The party is poised to trigger a no-confidence vote that could lead to the government's collapse.