FRANCE PERSPECTIVE

France: French coverage of the UK local elections is among the most extensive and analytical. Le Monde headlines 'Historic breakthrough of the radical right, collapse of Labour and end of two-party politics.' France 24 runs several programmes decoding what it calls 'the end of the two-party system' in Britain — a topic that resonates particularly in France, where the RN has followed a similar trajectory. France 24 and RFI note that Reform UK capitalises on the same frustrations as France's RN: insecurity, immigration, purchasing power, rejection of elites. For Paris, which watches Europe's populist surge with some anxiety, the British result confirms a deep structural trend: no Western democracy is immune.