Macron names Jean Castex as new French PM
French President Emmanuel Macron has named Jean Castex as the country's new prime minister, following the resignation of Edouard Philippe. A full government reshuffle is expected later, Euronews reports.
Castex is a local mayor from the Pyrenees, and has been overseeing the exit from France's coronavirus lockdown.
A member of the right-wing "Les Républicains" party, he was a member of former President Nicolas Sarkozy's team at the Elysée.
Macron had been expected to change the faces and direction of his government, especially in the wake of defeat in last weekend's local elections.