Gabriel Attal becomes France's youngest prime minister in modern history

• Gabriel Attal, the current education minister, will become the youngest person to occupy France's second-highest office at 34 years old.
• In France, the prime minister leads the government and is appointed by, but cannot be directly dismissed by, the president.
• Attal, a close ally of French President Emmanuel Macron, is the most popular government minister, polls suggest.
• He will be the first openly gay prime minister of France.

French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday named Gabriel Attal as the country's new prime minister, as he seeks to set a fresh course ahead of the summer's European Union elections.

Attal, the current education minister, will become the youngest person to occupy France's second-highest office at 34 years old.

It follows the apparently reluctant resignation of Elisabeth Borne on Monday, who said in a letter that she had been informed it was Macron's wish. Borne said it was "more necessary than ever to continue the reforms" being carried out by the government.

In France, the prime minister leads the government and is appointed by, but cannot be directly dismissed by, the president.

Attal will take office Tuesday afternoon, and make his first trip in the post to the flooded Pas-de-Calais region the same day.

Giving his first speech as prime minister, Attal said school reform would be one of his main focuses, Le Monde reported. Attal said his three economic priorities would be ensuring work is more valued than not working, while households struggle with inflation; simplifying life for businesses and entrepreneurs; and youth employment.

Macron and Borne struggled through a turbulent 2023, with the government narrowly avoiding being toppled amid lawmaker and public opposition to its move to raise the