Gilles Le Gendre saves his skin. - NICOLAS MESSYASZ / SIPA

  • An explosive note by Gilles Le Gendre revealed by Marianne has weakened his position as leader of the LREM deputies.
  • The document, critical of the walking deputies, caused a start of revolt among the latter, some calling for a change at the head of the group.
  • Supported by majority executives, Gilles Le Gendre finally saved his post on Tuesday.

He was promised the scaffold, he saved his head. Gilles Le Gendre has seen his position as leader of the LREM deputies vacillate in recent days, after the publication Friday in Marianne of extracts from a note addressed at the end of May to the President of the Republic. In these writings, the elected official of Paris pleads for a change of Prime Minister and proposes a new government casting.

By the way, the former entrepreneur and journalist is not tender with those who elected him as their head in September 2018 and confirmed last July. He indicates that there would be "no credible candidate" for Matignon among the LREM deputies but proposes himself as Minister of Relations with Parliament. He also regrets that Edouard Philippe "takes care not to intervene in the affairs of the majority". A small bomb that placed him on an ejection seat. "He is in big trouble, this note is not nice for all the deputies he leads. He should be taught to make anonymous blank notes. There, that makes a little nickel plated foot, slices a deputy.

A note "of the level of commercial coffee"

Tuesday's group meeting, organized in the morning by videoconference, was therefore eagerly awaited. Gilles Le Gendre spoke at around 10:30 am to defend himself. "Even if I am not guilty of anything, I feel indebted to each and every one of you to repair the bond of trust that has been damaged", launched the elected official of Paris, according to remarks reported. Evoking a simple "message" on the Telegram network and a "detailed cast" in the event of a reshuffle of which he would not be "the author", the head of the walkers solemnly reaffirmed his "confidence in Prime Minister Edouard Philippe and his government After having scratched it.

Some critics flared during these exchanges of almost three hours. François Cormier-Bouligeon, elected representative of Cher, asked Gilles Le Gendre to "stop [er] to do belly dancing to enter government". The elected Creuse Jean-Baptiste Moreau gave him a note "of the level of commercial coffee".

Grandeur and decadence; unbearable https://t.co/YQzhfucGAp via @MarianneleMag

- Bruno Questel (@BQuestel) June 5, 2020

But while some walkers announced in recent days a fatal settlement to their president, none finally asked for his departure. "It was rather a discussion of appeasement, in seriousness, everyone paid attention to the words used," notes Sylvain Maillard, MP for Paris close to the interested party.

Not yet let go by the executive, Gilles Le Gendre remains suspended

It must be said that from the start, the boss of the weakened group received the support of Richard Ferrand, President of the National Assembly and close to Emmanuel Macron. "He had a firm word, recalling that the division was our scheduled death, and that it was inappropriate in the current context. He called for concord, this set the tone for the future, ”continues Maillard.

The boss of the presidential party, Stanislas Guérini, also comforted him. A way to show the 282 LREM deputies that Gilles Le Gendre has not yet been let go by the highest levels of the executive. “This meeting did nothing. There were pros and cons and a desire to organize a seminar to talk about it at the start of the new school year, ”confirms another elected official.

Gilles Le Gendre therefore offers a little respite. But for how long ? This aborted sling comes in an already delicate context. His position has been weakened in recent weeks by the departure of LREM deputies, resulting in the loss of the absolute majority in the Assembly. And, even swept away, the note affair risks leaving traces. "This note is awkward, it weakened it terribly," says an influential member. We need to change course for our group. This story has also shown that some have ambitions for the future. "

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  • Deputy
  • LREM
  • National Assembly