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France's newly appointed Prime Minister, Sébastien Lecornu, has been sued by a union of education workers for falsely declaring his university degree. According to an investigation published by investigative portal Mediapart, Lecornu publicly claimed to have completed a two-year master's degree in public law, while in reality he had only completed the first year of this cycle of studies.
The claim to a second-level postgraduate degree appeared on his official profile on the Ministry of Defense website, where he previously served as a minister, on the professional network LinkedIn, as well as during a conference at a public university.
The lawsuit has been filed with the Court of Justice of the Republic, the body competent to try members of the government. In it, the prime minister is accused of having “wanted to create the belief that he holds a master's degree in public law” and of having “knowingly used a title that he does not hold.”
The lawyer for the plaintiff union, Vincent Brengarth, explained that: No degree is required to be part of the government and the lack of a second-level master's degree is not an indication of incompetence. But the lack of transparency regarding the real level of education of a minister could damage the credibility of French public universities, republican equality and the honor of teachers and researchers.
Lecornu himself has publicly admitted that he has only completed one year of his Master's degree (Master 1) at the University of Paris Panthéon-Assas. He has reacted to the accusations by saying that it is a "false polemic" and that he has felt "a form of social contempt". In the meantime, he has warned of a lawsuit against the union for "false accusation".
His biography on the government’s official website has been corrected and now only contains the reference “law studies at the University of Paris Panthéon-Assas”. On LinkedIn, the general formula remains: Master in public law, 2005–2008.
This scandal comes at a delicate moment for Lecornu, appointed prime minister by President Emmanuel Macron after the resignation of François Bayrou in early September, in a fragile political climate. Lecornu is expected to present the list of ministers and the draft budget for 2026 within the week. The deadlines are tight, as the budget must be submitted to Parliament by mid-October, according to constitutional requirements.
The prime minister has ruled out raising taxes on the wealthy, including the tax proposed by economist Gabriel Zucman, and has promised fiscal relief “mainly in favor of labor.” He has invited political parties to an open debate on fiscal justice, but has set a red line: Let’s not harm growth and employment.
Meanwhile, tensions with the opposition are rising. Lecornu will face another day of protests against austerity measures on Thursday, while he will meet with representatives of the Socialist Party on Friday. The Socialists' secretary, Olivier Faure, has described the meeting as his "last chance" before presenting a no-confidence motion.
"If nothing changes, the end is foretold: there will be a motion, this government will be overthrown and, most likely, it will be followed by the dissolution of Parliament. We are ready for this," Faure declared.
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