Blow for Macron as minister quits during live interview

President Emmanuel Macron suffered a major political blow yesterday as his popular environment minister resigned live on radio - without informing the French leader beforehand.

Nicolas Hulot, one of the most respected members of the cabinet among the French public, took even his interviewers by surprise on the France Inter radio station when announcing his move.

"I am taking the decision to leave the government," Mr Hulot said, adding that he felt "all alone" on environmental issues within government.

The 62-year-old TV celebrity, who made his name as an environmental campaigner, was lured into government last year by Mr Macron, but has repeatedly clashed with his cabinet colleagues over policy.

"We're taking little steps, and France is doing a lot more than other countries, but are little steps enough? The answer is no," he added.

Mr Hulot, whose future in the government has been a subject of speculation for months, said he had not told Mr Macron or Prime Minister Edouard Philippe of his plan to resign. "It's an honest and responsible decision," he said.

His departure adds to mounting problems for 40-year-old centrist Macron, who swept to power last year promising to solve decades of low growth and high unemployment in France and reform the European Union.

Due to slowing economic growth, his government is having difficulty drawing up a budget, which saw Mr Philippe announce at the weekend he was dropping targets for reducing the deficit. At diplomatic level, Mr Macron is struggling to convince European partners of the need for a more integrated EU as nationalist governments make gains across the continent.

Over the summer, the former banker also suffered the first major political scandal of his 15-month term when his former bodyguard and senior security aide was filmed manhandling protesters while appearing to impersonate a policeman.

Mr Hulot's announcement is likely to be received bitterly by Mr Macron, who was starting a trip to Denmark to sell his EU agenda yesterday.

"The most basic of courtesies would have been to warn the president of the republic and the prime minister," government spokesman Benjamin Griveaux said.

Mr Hulot was formerly the star presenter of the hit 'Ushuaïa' environmental TV programme in France, and had repeatedly turned down offers to enter government by previous French presidents.

He was widely reported to be close to quitting in February after reports that the granddaughter of former French president Francois Mitterrand had accused him of rape in the 1990s.

Mr Hulot furiously denied the claims and said they had been extremely hurtful for him and his family.

He also faced criticism from fellow green campaigners, who accused him of failing to influence the government sufficiently after he lost battles with his colleagues in the agriculture and economy ministries.

Mr Hulot was disappointed when the government backtracked on a target to reduce the share of nuclear power in the country's energy mix to 50pc by 2025, while EU negotiations on pesticides also frustrated him.