France's minority government is on the brink of collapse after Prime Minister Michel Barnier used special powers to force through his budget without a vote in parliament. Furious opposition parties said they would back a no-confidence motion to oust the former Brexit negotiator in a vote that could take place as early as Wednesday.

The immediate catalyst for the no-confidence motion was Barnier's decision to invoke a constitutional mechanism to pass the 2025 budget without parliamentary approval. This maneuver, intended to expedite the budgetary process amid deep political divisions, was perceived by opposition parties as undemocratic, prompting a unified response.