The Paris Mayor taking on the French President

She’s the self-styled saviour of the Left who revolutionised the French capital — now she has her eyes on the Elysée Palace. But can Anne Hidalgo go all the way to the top? Agnès Poirier reports from Paris

- Agnès Poirier

LONDON’S Mayor Sadiq Khan was among the first to congratulate his Parisian counterpart, the socialist Anne Hidalgo, on her declaration that she was running in next year’s French presidential elections. They are friends and have always displayed their affection in public, hugging on Eurostar platforms. “London is a suburb of Paris, and Paris a suburb of London,” said the mayor of Paris. She referred in part to the 250,000 French citizens living in London, making our capital one of the 10 biggest French cities. Both are children of immigrants of modest origins. Khan and Hidalgo have worked together on the impact of climate change and pollution in their cities. However, since her re-election in 2020, Hidalgo, 62, might have also been inspired by another mayor of London, Boris Johnson, who used the role as a launchpad for his rise to the top. Like him, France’s first female mayor seems irresistibly attracted to higher places. The Elysée Palace has proved a strong magnet for the woman who sees herself as the saviour of the French Left.