"In three words: we are ready," the 28-year-old president of the anti-immigration National Rally (RN) said yesterday as he promised to "restore faith in France and its greatness".
In his party's policy platform, Bardella said he would cut energy taxes to help people make ends meet, ban mobile phones from schools and prevent dual nationals from taking certain strategic jobs in the security or defence sector, which would be reserved for French citizens.
The mood was buoyant as Bardella gathered top party officials and journalists in a plush events venue with pink marble walls and gold cornicing in the smart 8th arrondissement of Paris.
Many of the officials had spent the weekend canvassing in constituencies across France after the centrist president, Emmanuel Macron, called a snap election following a trouncing for his Renaissance party by the RN in European elections.
Several senior RN figures said that in towns and villages they were seeing support for the far right that exceeded their expectations, and a clear rejection of the president.
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