“A Liz Truss-style scenario is possible,” he said last week. Such grave warnings have raised fears across Europe’s financial markets, fuelling a recent surge in French borrowing costs.

“A Liz Truss scenario is impossible because the pensions of the French are not capitalised, and we do not intend to affect the savings of the French,” said the RN. “These accusations betray ...

There was a whiff of Project Fear (with notes of le sexisme) to these comments, and on the face of it the cafouillage du Truss did not appear. The yields on French bonds had indeed jumped (meaning the ...