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The French government has collapsed after Prime Minister Michel Barnier was ousted in a no-confidence vote.<\/p>\n
MPs voted overwhelmingly in support of the motion against him – just three months after he was appointed by President Emmanuel Macron.<\/p>\n
Opposition parties had tabled the motion after the former Brexit negotiator controversially used special powers to force through his budget without a vote.<\/p>\n
It marks the first time the country’s government has collapsed in a no-confidence vote since 1962.<\/p>\n
His overthrowing will further France’s current political instability, after snap elections in summer led to no single group having a majority in parliament.<\/p>\n
MPs were required to either vote yes or abstain from Wednesday’s vote, with 288 votes needed for the motion to pass. A total of 331 voted in support of the motion.<\/p>\n
Both the far right and radical left had tabled motions of no-confidence after Barnier pushed through reforms to social security by invoking presidential decree on Monday after failing to win enough support for the measures.<\/p>\n
The left-wing alliance New Popular Front (NFP), which won the most seats in the parliamentary elections, had heavily criticised Macron’s decision to appoint centrist Barnier<\/a> over its own candidate.<\/p>\n