The new French Socialist Prime Minster Manuel Valls has addressed the National Assembly for the first time following his appointment last week. <br /><br />The Socialists suffered a mauling in the recent municipal elections and Valls set out the government’s main priorities for the next three years. <br /><br />France faces an uphill struggle as the new prime minister made clear: “Too much suffering and not enough hope, that is the situation France faces. I want a change of pace. We will ease the tax burden in order to stimulate the economy. We will spend 50 billion euros less from 2015 to 2017. This will take a great deal of effort, effort you must all share. I ask you with a beating heart, for France I ask for your trust. A trust we must give back to France,” said a passionate Valls.<br /><br />The National Assembly is due to take a vote of confidence in the government with the administration likely to win, despite a split with the Greens last week and grumblings from the left of President Hollande’s Socialist party.
