Gabriel Attal: Who is France's youngest and openly gay new prime minister & who is his partner

Gabriel Attal has been named France's new prime minister at the age 34, making him their youngest prime minister in history. His appointment comes amid growing political pressure from the far right on President Emmanuel Macron who seeks a fresh start for the rest of his term, which ends in 2027.

Rising to prominence as the government spokesperson and education minister, Mr Attal is also France's first openly gay prime minister, having been outed by an old associate in 2018 when he was named a junior minister during Macron's first mandate. He is currently in a civil partnership with Stéphane Sejourné, a French Member of the European Parliament and Macron's former political adviser.

His appointment comes after his predecessor Elisabeth Borne resigned on Monday (January 8) following recent political turmoil over an immigration law that strengthens the government’s ability to deport foreigners.

Being active in politics by joining the Socialist Party at the age 17, Mr Attal became a household name in French politics after being named government spokesperson during the pandemic. Following his appointment as a junior minister, he rose to become education minister in 2023, establishing himself as one of Macron's most astute cabinet ministers and smooth communicators.

One of his most notable actions as education minister last year was the ban on Muslim abayas in state schools, which helped him gain support among many conservative voters despite his left-wing background. Mr Attal recently appeared on a popular television show to recount the story of how he was bullied in middle school by a former classmate who, he claims, embarrassed him on a blog built to grade classmates' physiques during the early days of the Internet revolution, along with homophobic harassment.

At the age of 34, Mr Attal has surpassed leftist Laurent Fabius, who was 37 when he was appointed prime minister by Francois Mitterrand in 1984, as the youngest prime minister of France after the war.