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Summary

  • France's two presidential candidates go on the offensive in crucial debate

  • The far right's Marine Le Pen brands her opponent a "candidate of the elite"

  • Centrist Emmanuel Macron strikes back, accusing her of lying

  • The two argue over terrorism, the French economy and Europe

  • Four days from the poll, the debate is seen as the last real chance for Le Pen to close the gap on Macron in the polls

  • The last time the far right came this close to power was in 2002 under Marine Le Pen's father, Jean-Marie Le Pen

  • Some 20 million French viewers are expected to tune in for the debate, due to last 2 hours and 20 minutes

  1. Macron: Le Pen will increase cost of medicationpublished at 20:52 British Summer Time 3 May 2017

    Macron hits back at Le Pen over health.

    Most medicine is manufactured abroad so Le Pen's plan to tax imports won't make them any cheaper, he says.

  2. Impressive vindictive?published at 20:51 British Summer Time 3 May 2017

    鶹Լ presenter Andrew Neil is evidently enjoying the free-for-all.

  3. EU makes an appearancepublished at 20:49 British Summer Time 3 May 2017

    The 鶹Լ's Piers Scholfield is following the debate. 

  4. Macron accuses Le Pen of 'hidden project'published at 20:47 British Summer Time 3 May 2017

    "Yours is a hidden project," he says.

    He says she will have to raise taxes or increase the national debt to pay for her policies.

    "It's our children who will pay," he says.

  5. Le Pen: Not enough doctorspublished at 20:46 British Summer Time 3 May 2017

    "We don't have enough doctors. We have to look abroad," says Le Pen. 

    She also talks about going head-to-head with big pharma companies to cut the prices of drugs.

  6. Macron is talking morepublished at 20:43 British Summer Time 3 May 2017

    He's so far spoken for more than 18 minutes, compared to Le Pen's 15 minutes.

  7. 'How are you going to pay for it?'published at 20:42 British Summer Time 3 May 2017

    Macron has been trying to land a simple blow on Le Pen amid a flurry of bad-tempered arguing.

    "I have a simple question for you. How are you going to finance it all?" he asks.

    A few minutes later he tries again.

    "You can't pay for what you're promising," he says.

  8. Le Pen: I will find savings immediatelypublished at 20:40 British Summer Time 3 May 2017

    Le Pen has listed lots of benefits she will bring in, including boosting pensions and housing welfare for young people. Macron questions her on how she will fund these plans.

    “I will find savings immediately,” she says, and adds that leaving the EU will bring in a lot of the money needed. 

  9. Where do they stand? Work and pensionspublished at 20:40 British Summer Time 3 May 2017

    ѲDz:

    • Wants to allow firms flexibility on the 35-hour working week
    • Retirement age to stay at 62

    Le Pen:

    • Impose a new tax on the hiring of foreign workers so that French citizens get priority 
    • Keep the 35-hour working week 
    • Lower the retirement age to 60

    Protesters march during the annual May Day workers' rally in LyonImage source, AFP
  10. 'You lie'published at 20:39 British Summer Time 3 May 2017

    The exchanges could hardly be sharper. Macron to Le Pen: "I don't lie to the French. You lie."

  11. Le Pen the family defenderpublished at 20:37 British Summer Time 3 May 2017

    Le Pen is presenting herself now as the candidate of French families. 

    "You are not thinking of the families, I want to restore family benefits that were cut by the government that you were part of.

    "Everything can be bought or sold with you. You only see human relations in terms of what they can bring in, in terms of dividends."

  12. Quite a matchpublished at 20:34 British Summer Time 3 May 2017

     Pierre Briançon is a senior writer at Politico Europe.   

  13. Debate 'out of control'published at 20:32 British Summer Time 3 May 2017

    The 鶹Լ's Thomas Fessy is following the debate - he says the hosts are struggling.

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  14. Clash over Amiens factory visitpublished at 20:30 British Summer Time 3 May 2017

    The candidates have been clashing over their rival visits to the factory in Amiens - when with an unannounced visit.

    Macron accused her of staying for "15 minutes" for a photo opportunity with journalists while he spent "hours" talking with workers worried about their future.

    "They understand that you propose nothing," he says.

  15. Le Pen on jobs in Francepublished at 20:30 British Summer Time 3 May 2017

    Le Pen is strongly and repeatedly making a case for keeping more jobs in France. She says Macron has helped sell French companies abroad. She wants to tax companies who take jobs out of the country.

    As the two candidates talk over each other, the host interrupts: “We can’t hear ourselves think.”

  16. Macron's politeness anglepublished at 20:28 British Summer Time 3 May 2017

  17. Cross talkpublished at 20:26 British Summer Time 3 May 2017

    Things are getting heated already, with both candidates talking over each other.

    Le Pen has accused Macron being on the side of big companies and more concerned with private interests.

  18. Le Pen: 'Don't play with me'published at 20:26 British Summer Time 3 May 2017

    Le Pen: "Don’t play with me, don't play teacher and pupil, it’s not my thing." 

  19. Blue on bluepublished at 20:25 British Summer Time 3 May 2017

    Le Pen and Macron almost mirror each other in what they're wearing: she in a dark blue trouser suit with a white top, black shoes; he in a dark blue suit and tie with a white shirt, black shoes too. 

  20. Macron's 'lecturing stance'published at 20:21 British Summer Time 3 May 2017

    A British academic has offered her view of Macron's approach to his opponent...

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