Vincent Boland: Macron is shopping for votes as he vetoes €16bn supermarket megadeal

You don’t have to be a fan of investment bankers to think the French government acted hastily in the Carrefour affair

The French government decided earlier this month to veto the €16 billion takeover of Carrefour, the supermarket chain which is the country’s largest private-sector employer, by the Canadian retailer Couche-Tard

When Emmanuel Macron was elected president of France in May 2017, at the age of 39, he became the youngest ever occupant of the Elysée Palace. His rise from nowhere made him the talk of Europe – young, confident, and with an enormous personal mandate. His prickly personality and much older wife added to his allure.

It is often forgotten now, as he struggles to reconcile his ambition with the daily grind of government, that ...