In France, as in so much of Europe, the traditional centre left has collapsed. The once formidable Socialist Party appears in irretrievable decline after the worst election result in its history in 2017 (its presidential candidate Benoît Hamon finished fifth with just six per cent of the vote).
One of the chief beneficiaries is Jean-Luc Mélenchon, the leader of the left-wing France Insoumise (France Unbowed) and the most notable international speaker at this year’s Labour Party conference. When I met the 67-year-old (dressed in his trademark Maoist jacket) in Liverpool he glanced approvingly at a new poll showing that he is now France’s most popular politician. Support for president Emmanuel Macron, the liberal centrist elected last year, is now below that of his Socialist predecessor François Hollande at the same point (just 28 per cent approve of him).
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