Macron Approval Lowest Since March 2020, Faces Anger On Uber Revelations

Latest polling from Ifop-Fiducial shows approval for President Emmanuel Macron at its lowest since March 2020, before the pandemic where his (along with many other western leaders') approval recorded a notable bump.

• The poll shows Macron's approval rating standing at 37%, down from 41% in June, while his disapproval is also at a multi-year high of 63%, from 59% previously. The July ratings were gathered between 7-8 July from a panel of 1,009 respondents.

Source: Ifop-Fiducial.

• Perhaps importantly, these declining approval ratings came ahead of the revelations in The Guardian and Le Monde newspapers about alleged close links between Macron and ride-hailing firm Uber during the former's period as economy minister from 2014-2016.
• In a factory trip on Tuesday, Macron stated that he 'stands by' his actions and would repeat them “again, tomorrow and the day after.” The leaked files claim that Macron held privileged exchanges with senior Uber reps while economy minister. Opponents of Macron have often accused him of being in the pocket of big business, and these revelations are likely to add to these claims.
• However, Macron has consistently touted his desire to see deep-rooted reform of the sometimes cumbersome French business sector, and seems unlikely to back down on the issue.
• Macron's parliamentary bloc lost its majority in the June elections, and while PM Elisabeth Borne's administration survived a vote of no confidence earlier in the week, these sort of revelations about Macron are unlikely to aid the gov'ts attempts to cobble together a majority to pass legislation in the National Assembly.