François Bayrou had assured everyone that he would receive "no perks" after leaving Matignon. Nearly a year later, however, the former Prime Minister acknowledges still having a driver and security officers. This reality is difficult to reconcile with his statements from September 2025. During an interview on Europe 1, François Bayrou offered a rather contradictory statement: "I no longer have any perks, except for security officers and a driver." While police protection can address security needs, the official car with a driver is indeed a provision granted by the State to former Prime Ministers and is regulated as such by law.
In September 2025, François Bayrou promised: "No advantage"
Just days before leaving Matignon, François Bayrou had, however, delivered a much more categorical speech. Interviewed by Brut on the eve of the vote of confidence in the National Assembly that would bring down his government, he asserted that he would not use his time at Matignon to retain any privileges : “ I will not take on a secretary. The day I became Prime Minister, I renounced the allowances I received as a local elected official, and therefore I will not be entitled to any benefits. I may be entitled to a bodyguard because that's how security is ensured, at least for a while. Everyone thinks there are privileges and advantages, especially financial ones. That's not true. Nothing.” The word was therefore unambiguous: “Nothing.”
Eleven months later, the "nothing" finally includes a driver
The statement made today is significantly different. François Bayrou now asserts: "I no longer have any privileges, apart from security officers and a driver." Regarding security, the former Prime Minister had indeed left the door open as early as September 2025, mentioning the possibility of retaining a bodyguard himself. However, this reservation about the driver was not part of his promise. He stated at the time that he would be entitled to "no privileges . " Yet, François Bayrou does indeed currently have a driver when he is in Paris.
A car with a driver is indeed a benefit provided for former Prime Ministers.
The distinction made by François Bayrou clashes primarily with the regulations governing the resources granted to former heads of government. The decree of September 16, 2025, stipulates that the State may, upon request, provide former Prime Ministers with an official vehicle and a driver, and cover the corresponding expenses for a maximum of ten years after they leave Matignon. In other words, this is not simply a personal means of transport that François Bayrou would finance himself: it is a provision linked to his status as a former Prime Minister and paid for by the State. Sébastien Lecornu had, in fact, specifically presented the September 2025 reform as the end of the "lifetime benefits" for former members of the government. The vehicle with a driver was among the benefits concerned.
No secretarial staff, but not by choice.
François Bayrou had also announced that he would not be taking on a private secretary. On this point, the former Prime Minister does not, in fact, have a secretary provided by the State. But this absence is not simply the result of a voluntary decision to forgo such a position. The system is subject to an age limit. François Bayrou, now 75 years old, does not meet the eligibility requirements. Presenting the lack of a secretary as a consequence of his desire to renounce the perks of his office is therefore misleading: he was no longer eligible for one anyway.
A promise that no longer corresponds to reality
In September 2025, François Bayrou stated he received "no benefits" and even concluded with "Nothing ." In August 2026, he acknowledged having security officers and a driver while continuing to assert that he "no longer received any benefits ." Police protection can certainly be justified by security imperatives and depend on an assessment of the threats against the former Prime Minister. However, regarding the driver, the facts are more difficult to refute: François Bayrou had promised to receive no benefits after leaving Matignon. He now benefits from a state-funded system specifically designed for former Prime Ministers. Between the promise of "nothing" and the reality of having a driver, François Bayrou has therefore not kept the commitment he publicly made before leaving Matignon.
