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Bruno Retailleau

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Bruno Retailleau
Retailleau in 2019
Minister of the Interior
Incumbent
Assumed office
21 September 2024
Prime MinisterMichel Barnier
Preceded byGérald Darmanin
President of The Republicans group
in the Senate
In office
7 October 2014 – 30 September 2024
Preceded byJean-Claude Gaudin
Succeeded byMathieu Darnaud
Senator for Vendée
In office
1 October 2004 – 1 October 2024
President of the Regional Council
of Pays de la Loire
In office
18 December 2015 – 13 September 2017
Preceded byJacques Auxiette
Succeeded byChristelle Morançais
President of the General Council of Vendée
In office
30 November 2010 – 1 April 2015
Preceded byPhilippe de Villiers
Succeeded byYves Auvinet
Member of the National Assembly
for Vendée's 4th constituency
In office
26 November 1994 – 12 June 1997
Preceded byPhilippe de Villiers
Succeeded byPhilippe de Villiers
General councillor of Vendée
for the canton of Mortagne-sur-Sèvre
In office
3 October 1988 – 1 April 2015
Preceded byGérard Brosset
Succeeded byCécile Barreau
Guillaume Jean
Personal details
Born
Bruno Daniel Marie Paul Retailleau

(1960-11-20) 20 November 1960 (age 64)
Cholet, France
Political partyThe Republicans (2015–present)
Other political
affiliations		MPF (1994–2010)
Independent (2010–2012)
UMP (2012–2015)
Children3
Alma materUniversity of Nantes
Sciences Po

Bruno Daniel Marie Paul Retailleau (French pronunciation: [bʁyno danjɛl maʁi pɔl ʁətajo]; born 20 November 1960) is a French politician who has served as Minister of the Interior in the government of Prime Minister Michel Barnier since 21 September 2024.

Retailleau represented the Vendée department in the National Assembly from 1994 to 1997 as Philippe de Villiers's substitute and in the Senate from 2004 to 2024. He presided over the Senate Republicans from 2014 to 2024. He also served as President of the General Council of Vendée from 2010 to 2015 and President of the Regional Council of Pays de la Loire from 2015 until 2017.

Following his appointment to the government, Retailleau has been called its most influential figure,[1][2] stating to have accepted the position to "re-establish order" in France.[3]

Early life and education

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Bruno Retailleau was born on 20 November 1960 in Cholet, Maine-et-Loire, the son of parents who were grain merchants.[4][5] The elder in a family of 4 children, he grew up in Saint-Malô-du-Bois, a village in the bocage of Vendée, 7 kilometres from where the Puy du Fou historical theme park, launched by Philippe de Villiers, would emerge.[6][7]

Retailleau graduated from Sciences Po in 1985, after a master's degree in economics at the University of Nantes.[5][8]

Professional career

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In 1985, he became deputy general manager of a local radio station, Alouette, then, from 1987 to 1994, general manager of the Sciencescom communication school, later integrated into Audencia Business School.[9] When the Grand Parc du Puy du Fou corporation was created, which manages the theme park associated with the "Cinéscénie", he became its first chairman of the board, as a close associate of De Villiers.[10]

Political career

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Early beginnings

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A member of the Movement for France (MPF), founded by De Villiers, until 2010, Retailleau became the Vendée general councillor for the canton of Mortagne-sur-Sèvre in 1988, a position he retained until 2015.

Member of the National Assembly

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Retailleau became the deputy in the National Assembly for the 4th constituency of Vendée in 1994 upon the election of De Villiers as a Member of the European Parliament (MEP), a position he did not seek election to in the 1997 election, as De Villiers was running for his old seat.[11]

Member of the Senate

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Instead, Retailleau joined the Senate in 2004, where from 2014 he presided over the Union for a Popular Movement group (renamed The Republicans group in 2015), after joining the Union for a Popular Movement (UMP) of President Nicolas Sarkozy in 2012.

In 2010, he succeeded De Villiers as President of the General Council of Vendée.

President of the Regional Council of Pays de la Loire

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In the 2015 regional election, Retailleau led a list in Pays de la Loire with the support of The Republicans (LR) and the Union of Democrats and Independents (UDI), which received over 42% of the second-round vote. He supported the Aéroport du Grand Ouest project.[12][13] On 18 December 2015, he became President of the Regional Council of Pays de la Loire, an office he resigned from in 2017 to focus on his activities in the Senate.

Earlier, Retailleau had held one of the regional council's vice presidencies from 1998 to 2004 under François Fillon (until 2002) and Jean-Luc Harousseau.

Positions within The Republicans

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In The Republicans' 2016 primary, Retailleau endorsed former Prime Minister François Fillon as the party's candidate for President of France in the 2017 election.[14] He subsequently joined Fillon's team as campaign coordinator.[15]

Ahead of The Republicans' 2019 leadership election, Retailleau announced that despite speculation he would not run for the party presidency, calling Christian Jacob the "consensual" candidate.[16]

Ahead of the 2022 presidential election, he announced he would also not run for the party nomination.[17] At The Republicans' primary in December 2021, he was part of the 11-member committee that oversaw the party's selection of its candidate in the upcoming election.[18]

On 2 September 2022, Retailleau announced his candidacy for the presidency of The Republicans.[19] In an internal leadership vote, he was eventually defeated by Éric Ciotti on 11 December 2022.[20] Despite working closely with Ciotti following the latter's election as party president, Retailleau sided against him amid the 2024 The Republicans alliance crisis.[21]

Minister of the Interior, 2024–present

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On 21 September 2024, Retailleau was appointed Minister of the Interior in the government of Prime Minister Michel Barnier, succeeding Gérald Darmanin.[22][23] His appointment marked a shift to the right.[24] He called for "less immigration, more security";[25] shortly after taking office, he demanded prefects order a "complete mobilisation" to "speed up the pace of deportations" of illegal migrants.[26]

Political positions

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Retailleau states he belongs to a right-wing movement that does not compromise on its values.[27] A supporter of a clear opposition to President Emmanuel Macron's centrist politics, he refused any government agreement with Macron's party, Renaissance, in 2022.[28] In 2024, he joined the Barnier government, a centre-right coalition government which includes Renaissance.[29]

Regularly described as a liberal-conservative, Retailleau advocates major reforms of work, the state and the French social model, and calls for "a policy of civilisation" against wokeism.[30][31][28][32] A proponent of a firmer response to security issues, Retailleau defends a "penal revolution" including measures such as the introduction of short prison sentences for the first acts of delinquency, the lowering of the age of criminal responsibility to 16 years and the suspension of social and family benefits to parents who do not assume their educational responsibilities.[33] Attached to national sovereignty, he regularly denounces the influence of jurisprudence such as that of the ECHR, was opposed to the Treaty of Lisbon and refuses any federalist push within the European Union.[28][34]

In 2019, advocating for "an intellectual refoundation" of the right, Retailleau aimed to give back an ideological corpus to his political family and called on the right to seize new issues such as environmentalism, to which he devoted a book.[35][36]

In March 2024, Retailleau voted against an amendment that enshrined abortion in the Constitution.[37]

Immigration

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Retailleau is a staunch opponent of immigration.[38] He has called for constitutional changes so a referendum can be held on the matter.[39] During one of the debates on an immigration bill in July 2024, which was introduced by his predecessor Gérald Darmanin, he stated "immigration is not an opportunity for France."[40] In 2023, following the Nahel Merzouk riots, Retailleau denounced a "regression towards the ethnic origins" of the rioters, adding that although they were legally French, they were in his opinion not culturally so. His statements received substantial criticism.[41] He later stated that France had been "dispossessed of the control" of its borders, notably through European jurisprudence.[42]

Upon becoming Minister of the Interior in 2024, he ordered the deportation of illegal immigrants from the overseas island of Mayotte to the DRC.[43][44][45] In an interview with French daily newspaper Le Parisien on 10 October, Retailleau stated his intention in tightening the amount of illegal immigrants that can see their legal situation change to be admitted into French society.[46][47]

Foreign policy

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Retailleau with UK Home Secretary Yvette Cooper, 2024

In a joint letter initiated by Norbert Röttgen and Anthony Gonzalez ahead of the 47th G7 summit in 2021, Retailleau joined some 70 legislators from Europe, the US and Japan in calling upon their leaders to take a tough stance on China and to "avoid becoming dependent" on the country for technology including artificial intelligence and 5G.[48]

Following the 2023 Nigerien coup d'état, Retailleau joined forces with fellow Senators Christian Cambon and Roger Karoutchi on an open letter to President Macron in Le Figaro, critizicing France's Africa policy and arguing that the failure of Operation Barkhane was in great part the reason why France and its economic, political and military presence have been rejected in Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger and the Central African Republic; the letter was signed by 91 other Senators.[49][50]

Israel

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In 2019, Retailleau wrote to the Israeli ambassador to France to demand that Christians who live in Gaza be allowed to travel to Bethlehem and Jerusalem for Christmas.[51]

Following the 7 October Hamas-led attack on Israel and the ensuing Israel–Hamas war, Retailleau expressed strong support for Israel,[52] which has positioned him as an ally to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, echoing sentiments from France's right-leaning political factions.

In October 2024, Bruno Retailleau asked to renegotiate the 1968 agreement with Algeria that governs immigration between Algeria and France.[53] He then said he was in favor of its repeal in November 2024, in view of the deterioration of relations between Algeria and France.[54]

Personal life

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Married to a medical doctor, Retailleau is the father of three children.[55]

Passionate about horseback riding, Retailleau was spotted by Philippe de Villiers while participating as a volunteer rider in the "Cinéscénie" show at the Puy du Fou.[56][8] The creator of the show, who quickly made him his second-in-command, later entrusted him with the staging of the Cinescénie for nearly 25 years.[57][58]

Bibliography

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Books

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  • Retailleau, Bruno (23 August 2010). Les entreprises de taille intermédiaire au coeur d'une nouvelle dynamique de croissance (in French). Paris: La Documentation Française. p. 170. ISBN 978-2110081629.
  • Retailleau, Bruno (20 March 2019). Refondation (in French). Paris: Éditions de l'Observatoire. p. 288. ISBN 979-1032906286.
  • Retailleau, Bruno (21 October 2021). Aurons-nous encore de la lumière en hiver ? (in French). Paris: Éditions de l'Observatoire. p. 140. ISBN 979-1032924266.

References

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  1. ^ Corinne Lhaïk (21 September 2024). "Gouvernement : comment Bruno Retailleau, seul poids lourd de l'équipe Barnier, a décroché Beauvau". L'Opinion (in French).
  2. ^ ""Il va y aller franco" : qui est le ministre de l'Intérieur Bruno Retailleau, seul véritable poids lourd du gouvernement Barnier ?". Midi Libre (in French). 22 September 2024.
  3. ^ "Gouvernement Barnier : Bruno Retailleau martèle son intention de «rétablir l'ordre» comme priorité numéro une". Le Figaro (in French). 23 September 2024.
  4. ^ "Les confidences de François Fillon à l'heure de passer le témoin à Bruno Retailleau". Le Figaro (in French). 17 November 2017. Retrieved 7 November 2022.
  5. ^ a b "Bruno Retailleau - Who's Who". www.whoswho.fr (in French). Retrieved 7 November 2022.
  6. ^ Beaucarnot, Jean-Louis (2022). Le tout politique 2022 : [origines, cousinages, personnalités] : [la face cachée de nos politiques] (Nouvelle édition ed.). Paris: l'Archipel. ISBN 978-2-8098-4338-5. OCLC 1319654805.
  7. ^ "Le guide des mardis de l'Essec" (PDF). 19 January 2021.
  8. ^ a b "Pays de la Loire: Bruno Retailleau au scanner". LExpress.fr (in French). 7 June 2016. Retrieved 7 November 2022.
  9. ^ "Histoire de la radio locale Alouette". schoop.fr (in French).
  10. ^ magazine, Le Point (2 October 2014). "Bruno Retailleau, du Puy-du-Fou, à la tête des sénateurs UMP". Le Point (in French). Retrieved 8 November 2022.
  11. ^ "Une élection législative partielle M. Retailleau succède à M. de Villiers en Vendée". Le Monde.fr (in French). 29 November 1994. Retrieved 8 November 2022.
  12. ^ (in French) "Découvrir Bruno Retailleau". Archived from the original on 9 October 2015. Retrieved 22 September 2015.
  13. ^ (in French) "Retailleau: " La ZAD de Notre-Dame-des-Landes est le symbole de l'affaissement de l'Etat "". Public Sénat. 15 December 2015. Retrieved 8 January 2016.
  14. ^ Ludovic Vigogne (20 April 2016), Primaire à droite: la liste des premiers soutiens parlementaires L'Opinion.
  15. ^ Brian Love (22 March 2017), Fillon camp decries "soap opera" of sleaze reports a month from French election Reuters.
  16. ^ Christophe Forcari (19 June 2019), Par sens du «devoir», Bruno Retailleau ne briguera pas la présidence de LR Libération.
  17. ^ "Présidentielle 2022 : Bruno Retailleau renonce à sa candidature". Le Point (in French). 27 August 2021. Retrieved 8 November 2022.
  18. ^ Ludovic Vigogne (12 October 2021), Congrès LR: après le oui de Bertrand, les choses sérieuses commencent L'Opinion.
  19. ^ "Bruno Retailleau: "Je serai candidat à la présidence des Républicains"". Le Figaro (in French). 2 September 2022. Retrieved 8 November 2022.
  20. ^ "Éric Ciotti élu face à Bruno Retailleau à la présidence de LR". Le Huffington Post (in French). 11 December 2022. Retrieved 11 December 2022.
  21. ^ Salomé Robles (19 June 2024). "Législatives: Bruno Retailleau Estime Qu'Éric Ciotti a Été "Dissous Dans Le Bloc du Rassemblement National"". BFM TV (in French).
  22. ^ "Direct. Gouvernement: l'équipe du Premier ministre Michel Barnier dévoilée". BFMTV (in French). Retrieved 21 September 2024.
  23. ^ "Retailleau, Lecornu, Barrot... Voici la composition du nouveau gouvernement Barnier". Le Figaro (in French). 21 September 2024. Retrieved 21 September 2024.
  24. ^ "Bruno Retailleau à l'Intérieur, symbole d'une droite dure conservatrice". France 24 (in French). 21 September 2024.
  25. ^ "Les Républicains conditionnent leur participation au gouvernement au programme de Barnier, affirme Wauquiez". Europe 1 (in French). 6 September 2024. Retrieved 21 September 2024.
  26. ^ Christophe Cornevin (29 October 2024). "Immigration : Retailleau serre la vis auprès des préfets pour « reprendre le contrôle »". Le Figaro (in French).
  27. ^ "Bruno Retailleau : ' Depuis 30 ans, la droite n'a pas suffisamment assumé les valeurs de droite '". Public Senat (in French). 5 April 2022. Retrieved 8 November 2022.
  28. ^ a b c "Le candidat à la présidence de LR Bruno Retailleau au JDD : ' Je veux tout changer à droite '". lejdd.fr (in French). Retrieved 8 November 2022.
  29. ^ "Macron names right-leaning French government under Michel Barnier". The Guardian. 21 September 2024. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 24 September 2024.
  30. ^ "Bruno Retailleau creuse son sillon à droite". Les Echos (in French). 20 March 2019. Retrieved 8 November 2022.
  31. ^ Albertini, Dominique. "Bruno Retailleau : "Dire que la France souffre du libéralisme, c'est une mauvaise plaisanterie"". Libération (in French). Retrieved 8 November 2022.
  32. ^ Chiecchi, Jérôme Cordelier, Mégane (17 April 2021). "Bruno Retailleau : " Notre pays est majoritairement à droite "". Le Point (in French). Retrieved 8 November 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  33. ^ "Bruno Retailleau : " Si nous n'enclenchons pas une révolution pénale, nous aurons une insurrection électorale "". Le Figaro (in French). 11 March 2021. Retrieved 8 November 2022.
  34. ^ "Bruno Retailleau: "L'Europe des petites cuisines et des grandes dépendances"". Le Figaro (in French). 23 July 2020. Retrieved 8 November 2022.
  35. ^ Dupont, Laureline (28 March 2019). "Bruno Retailleau, les idées à l'endroit". Le Point (in French). Retrieved 8 November 2022.
  36. ^ Vernay, Stéphane (24 October 2021). ""La droite a une légitimité sur l'écologie", affirme Bruno Retailleau". Ouest-France (in French). Retrieved 24 October 2022.
  37. ^ "Scrutin public n°1 sur le projet de loi constitutionnelle relatif à la liberté de recourir à l'interruption volontaire de grossesse". Assemblée nationale. 4 March 2024.
  38. ^ Claire Gatinois (1 October 2024). "Bruno Retailleau provoque le malaise chez les macronistes après ses propos sur l'Etat de droit et l'immigration". Le Monde.
  39. ^ "Immigration : Bruno Retailleau favorable à un référendum, critiqué par la gauche et la macronie". Les Echos (in French). 30 September 2024.
  40. ^ "IVG, immigration: Bruno Retailleau, a Minister of the Interior with conservative positions". BFM TV. 22 September 2024.
  41. ^ Baptiste Farge (13 July 2023). ""Régression Vers Les Origines Ethniques": Retailleau Maintient Ses Propos Et Tacle Son Collègue Pradié". BFM TV (in French).
  42. ^ Charles Sapin; Sébastien Schneegans (28 October 2023). "Bruno Retailleau (LR) : « Le peuple français a été dépossédé de la maîtrise de ses frontières »". Le Point (in French).
  43. ^ "French interior minister orders deportation flights to DRC". Le Monde. 2 October 2024.
  44. ^ "France orders more deportation flights to Africa from Indian Ocean island of Mayotte". France 24. 3 October 2024.
  45. ^ "French interior minister vows more deportation flights to DRC from Mayotte". Radio France Internationale. 3 October 2024.
  46. ^ "Bruno Retailleau veut durcir les conditions de régularisation de sans papiers". BFM TV. 10 October 2024.
  47. ^ "Immigration : Bruno Retailleau veut revenir sur la circulaire Valls qui permet de régulariser 30 000 clandestins chaque année". Valeurs actuelles. 10 October 2024.
  48. ^ Stuart Lau (25 January 2021), G7 lawmakers tell leaders to ‘stand up’ to China Politico Europe.
  49. ^ «Après la Françafrique, sommes-nous condamnés à l'effacement de la France en Afrique ?» Le Figaro, 7 August 2023.
  50. ^ Gavin Mortimer (9 August 2023), Macron can’t escape blame for France’s failures in Africa The Spectator.
  51. ^ Emmanuel Galiero (20 December 2019). "Chrétiens de Gaza: Bruno Retailleau écrit à l'ambassadrice d'Israël en France". Le Figaro (in French).
  52. ^ Hugo Ruaud (21 May 2024). "Mandat d'arrêt requis contre Benyamin Netanyahou : le Quai d'Orsay « se discrédite » avec son soutien à la CPI, selon Roger Karoutchi". Public Sénat (in French).
  53. ^ Baudouin Moucadel (4 October 2024). "Que prévoit l'accord de 1968 sur l'immigration entre la France et l'Algérie ?". lejdd.fr (in French). Retrieved 28 November 2024.
  54. ^ Romain David (28 November 2024). "Immigration : le ministre de l'Intérieur Bruno Retailleau « favorable à la dénonciation de l'accord franco-algérien de 1968 »". Public Sénat (in French). Retrieved 29 November 2024.
  55. ^ Grépinet, Mariana (26 April 2017). "" Les révélations de la campagne "". Paris Match (in French): 32–33.
  56. ^ "Bruno Retailleau, passionné d'équitation". Le Figaro (in French). 17 August 2018. Retrieved 7 November 2022.
  57. ^ Emery, Audrey (18 May 2015). "Régionales 2015 : la face cachée de Retailleau". Le Point (in French). Retrieved 7 November 2022.
  58. ^ "" Retailleau a été metteur en scène de la Cinéscénie "". ouest-france.fr (in French). 10 December 2015. Retrieved 7 November 2022.
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