Marine Le Pen, champion of the French far right, has come within reach for the first time of beating President Macron in next year’s election, according to a poll.
The Harris survey, premised on a replay of the run-off in the 2017 election, has alarmed the president’s supporters and the political establishment because it suggests that Ms Le Pen is close to breaching the “glass ceiling” of French politics. The barrier was based on the longstanding assumption that an absolute majority of voters would never back a far-right candidate.
If the May 2022 run-off were staged now, Ms Le Pen would have 48 per cent of the vote, with Mr Macron on 52 per cent, according to a poll carried out online on January 19
