French Finance Minister Eric Lombard said on 26 Aug. that an International Monetary Fund intervention in France’s economy would become a real possibility if Prime Minister Francois Bayrou’s minority government loses an upcoming confidence vote. Speaking on France Inter radio, Lombard stressed he is “certainly not resigned” to the government’s fall but acknowledged that the risk “cannot be ignored.” Bayrou has called the 8 Sept. vote to secure backing for a four-year fiscal programme aimed at trimming the deficit to 5.4% of GDP next year and 2.8% by 2029 through spending cuts and structural reforms. The three largest opposition parties have already said they will withhold support, raising the prospect of the government’s collapse and heightening concern over France’s public finances. Market jitters have intensified: the CAC 40 closed lower for a second consecutive session on Tuesday, and French bond yields ticked higher. Lombard later sought to calm investors, writing that France is not presently under threat from the IMF, the European Central Bank or any international lender, but he argued that swift fiscal consolidation remains essential to preserve the country’s credit standing ahead of a scheduled Fitch review on 12 Sept.