France’s Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu has said he plans to end “lifetime” benefits for former prime ministers as he begins to lay the groundwork for political consultations ahead of trying to get a new budget passed by parliament.
“We cannot ask the French people to make efforts if those at the head of the state do not do the same. Reform is not always for others, as it creates suspicion,” he said in an interview at the weekend.
And those comments were reinforced with a post on X on Monday, in which he announced “It’s done.”
“The ‘lifetime’ benefits for former Government members will be eliminated starting January 1, 2026,” he wrote.
Lecornu was named prime minister by President Emmanuel Macron on 9 September, replacing François Bayrou who lost a vote of confidence in parliament after proposing €44 billion in budget cuts in a bid to reign in France’s national debt.
At his swearing in, Lecornu promised a “break” with the past as he faced the difficult task of trying to build a government with sufficient parliamentary support to pass a budget.
What are the privileges former ministers enjoy?
Former prime ministers enjoy several benefits, including police protection provided by the Protection Service (SDLP) department of the national police.
Under the new rules outlined by Lecornu, this protection will be capped at three years and only extended in the case of a material threat.
A car and a driver is also made available to former prime ministers financed by the state. This lifetime benefit will also be reduced to 10 years.
Former prime ministers are also entitled to the services of a personal secretary, a privelege which lasts for 10 years or until the former PM reaches the age of 67. No changes have been announced to this perk.
Finally, former prime ministers are entitled to a gross compensation of €15,000 per month for three months after leaving office.
In 2024, the annual cost to the state of the benefits granted to former prime ministers and ministers was estimated at nearly €4.4 million, with almost half of this amount spent on police protection.
Whic former leaders cost the state the most in 2024?
According to official data from the National Assembly published in May 2025, Dominique de Villepin was the most costly former PM, costing the state €207,072.
He was followed by Bernard Cazeneuve at €198,290, Jean-Pierre Raffarin at €158,208 and Lionel Jospin at €157,657.
Édith Cresson rounds out the top five with a price tag of €157,223.
Political reactions
Laurent Saint-Martin, an MP with the Renaissance (RE) party, praised this measure, calling it long-overdue.
Secretary General of the national trade union CGT, Sophie Binet, expressed reservations, saying that the measure will not be enough to offset other budgetary decisions deemed unfair in the forthcoming budget.
According to the French statistics office (INSEE), the country’s debt stood at €3.345 trillion at the end of the first quarter of 2025.
Meanwhile, from the far-right National Rally (RN), MP Sébastien Chenu said the move was “very good,” but called it a “gimmick” and accused Lecornu of “doing PR.”