John Downing: EU leaders can breathe sigh of relief as Le Pen misses out on power, but turmoil in France will be felt across Europe

French voters reject a far-right majority in favour of the left

John Downing

The good news for many EU leaders is that the French hard-right party of Marine Le Pen fell far short of power in Sunday’s run-off vote for the national parliament.

The less encouraging reality is that the outcome leaves the EU’s second-largest economy – which along with Germany leads many Brussels’ initiatives – with a hung parliament and facing a political deadlock.