New French PM Barnier pledges to defend key Macron policies, hints at rightward shift

New French Prime Minister Michel Barnier on Friday pledged he would work independently from President Emmanuel Macron but signalled he would defend some of the president's key policies while toughening the government's stance on immigration. Giving his first interview as government chief following his nomination on Thursday, Barnier said his government, which lacks a clear majority in a hung lower house of parliament, will include conservatives as well as members of Macron's camp.