The Elysee Palace said in a statement on Monday that President Emmanuel Macron had accepted Mr Lecornu’s resignation, which came less than 24 hours after he named his government.
Mr Lecornu had replaced his predecessor Francois Bayrou to become France’s fourth prime minister in barely a year – and the seventh of Macron’s eight-year presidency.
Here are all the prime ministers who have served under Mr Macron.
Edouard Philippe
President Macron’s first pick for prime minister – in May 2017 – was Edouard Philippe, a then 46-year-old centre-right conservative.
He began his political life as a socialist activist, before switching sides to France’s Republicans party.
Centrist Mr Macron hoped appointing Mr Philippe would broaden his own political appeal and weaken his opponents before the country’s elections, which were just months away at the time.
He lasted just over three years before resigning in July 2020 – making him the longest-serving of Mr Macron’s PMs.
Mr Philippe last year announced that he will run in France’s 2027 presidential elections – which Mr Macron cannot run in due to constitutional restrictions.
Jean Castex
Mr Philippe’s exit sparked a government reshuffle and the relatively low-profile Jean Castex – who coordinated France’s COVID-19 reopening strategy – was named PM.
Mr Castex, aged 55 when he took office, was a career public servant who had worked with multiple governments – but never served as a minister.
When Mr Macron’s first term was coming to an end in April 2022, Mr Castex said he would resign if the president was re-elected “as is the tradition” so a new government could be appointed. He stuck to his word when Mr Macron beat Marine Le Pen that month.
Elisabeth Borne
Mr Macron kicked off his second term as president by appointing France’s second female prime minister, Elisabeth Borne, in May 2022.
Despite Mr Macron’s re-election, his centrists lost their majority in parliament and his government was forced into utilising special constitutional powers, along with some political manoeuvring, to pass laws.
Ms Borne’s resignation in January 2024 was billed by French media as an attempt by Mr Macron to breathe new life into his top table and head off political rivals.
Gabriel Attal
Ms Borne was replaced by 34-year-old Gabriel Attal – France’s youngest prime minister and the first to be gay.
Opinion polls suggested Mr Attal was one of the country’s most popular politicians, having made a name for himself as a savvy minister. But his premiership was cut short when he left office in September 2024 – three months after quitting.
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Mr Attal handed in his resignation after a snap election left the government in limbo in July 2024, but Mr Macron refused to accept it and asked him to remain as head of a caretaker government, which he did until a successor was appointed.
Michel Barnier
Former Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier, aged 73, was next up.
His appointment angered France’s far-right factions with Ms Le Pen stating MPs from her The National Rally party would not participate in a government led by him.
Just four months after he was appointed, Mr Barnier lost a vote of no confidence after far-right and left-wing politicians banded together to oust him.
Francois Bayrou
Francois Bayrou became Mr Macron’s seventh PM in December 2024.
He gambled that lawmakers would back his view that France should slash public spending to address its growing economic issues – which wound up being a staggering political miscalculation.
Mr Bayrou lost a confidence vote by an overwhelming 364-194 last month.
Sebastien Lecornu
Mr Macron’s eighth PM wound up lasting less than a month in the job.
Sebastien Lecornu, 39, resigned just hours after he appointed his cabinet – and after political rivals threatened to topple his government.
Mr Lecornu’s resignation resulted in calls for Mr Macron to be impeached, while French stocks and the euro dropped sharply.
