Prime Minister François Bayrou on 1 July survived a motion of censure tabled by the Socialist group after the collapse of talks on pension reform. The failure of the motion preserves his minority government ahead of decisive fiscal deadlines. Attention now shifts to the 15 July presentation of the 2026 budget framework. Bayrou seeks about €40 billion in savings, while the Finance Ministry is pressing for as much as €45 billion. A central option is an "année blanche" that would freeze most state outlays for a year; Senate Renaissance leader François Patriat said the idea "seems to have consensus" in both chambers. In an interview with LCI on 10 July, Bayrou called the national finances "anxious" but vowed to cut the deficit from 5.8 % of GDP today to 5.4 % in 2025 and 4.6 % in 2026. He ruled out a broad tax increase, noting that any adjustment would rely chiefly on curbing expenditure, including tighter control of some social programmes. Scepticism is mounting. A YouGov survey for Le HuffPost found that just 11 % of respondents trust the prime minister to deliver the promised €40 billion in economies. Economists warn that a blanket freeze could entrench inefficiencies, while opposition parties predict painful cuts for households. Bayrou also reiterated plans to propose a referendum on introducing proportional representation for legislative elections and said he remains determined to create a state-backed "banque de la démocratie" to ease party financing constraints before the autumn.