Controversy surrounding Monique Barbut: the minister declines the invitation from La France insoumise

Monique Barbut, star of the La France insoumise summer universities which will be held from Thursday to Sunday? An invitation to the Minister of Ecological Transition was launched on Tuesday August 18 by Manuel Bompard, coordinator of the movement, on BFMTV. “It would be good for the whole country if we could debate ecological measures, Jean-Luc Mélenchon's ecological program and his proposals,” he proposed.

The member for Bouches-du-Rhône did not miss the opportunity to respond to the comments of the minister who, on Sunday, in Libération, judged in rather favorable terms the action of the LFI candidate in the presidential election. “I must recognize that Jean-Luc Mélenchon, who is not my cup of tea, is the one who most integrates the climate issue into his economic and social proposals,” she declared.

This quote is not at the heart of the interview but, for her opponents, it is enough to classify the minister as a pure rebel and as a traitor to her camp. Guest of “8h30 franceinfo” Tuesday morning, Annie Genevard, Minister of Agriculture, distanced herself from her colleague, while recognizing that she worked well with her. “I leave her responsible for her comments. She will explain it to those concerned, if necessary. I would not have made it [this statement] and I do not share it,” she comments. "Mr. Prime Minister. Perhaps we should bring your minister back to his senses?", wrote Arnaud Péricard, mayor of Saint-Germain-en-Laye and close to Edouard Philippe, on X.

“I won’t go to his summer schools”

Anxious to put an end to this new controversy, Monique Barbut reacted on Tuesday on her LinkedIn account and responded in the negative to Manuel Bompard's proposal. “Some want to make me say what I did not say. No, I did not praise Jean-Luc Mélenchon's program, with which I have deep disagreements. And no, I will not go to his summer universities,” she writes. “I know how to differentiate between a method, proposals and a political philosophy. Recognizing the relevance of a method obviously does not mean adhering to a program,” she continues. “On a subject of this importance, our responsibility is to look at the proposals for what they are, wherever they come from, and to retain those which can be useful to the country,” she concludes.

But Monique Barbut appears even more isolated, while her presence in the government is contested within the central bloc, both for her positions and her behavior.