Having been found guilty of systematic embezzlement, the far-right leader cannot claim to be a political martyr

Emmanuel Macron’s troubled second presidential term was already set to go down as one of the most turbulent in the history of France’s Fifth Republic. A succession of prime ministers have come and gone at dizzying speed. A snap election last July, foolishly called by Mr Macron in the hope of seeing off Marine Le Pen’s far right National Rally (RN), almost catapulted it into power. None of that drama, however, remotely rivalled the coup de theatre delivered on Monday in a courtroom rather than a voting booth.

The decision by Paris judges to bar Ms Le Pen from standing for office for five years, having found her guilty of embezzling public funds while an MEP, has spectacularly shaken up a political landscape dominated by the far-right threat. Ahead of presidential elections in 2027 – in which Mr Macron cannot run – Ms Le Pen had become the candidate to beat, using her experience to exploit deepening discontent with the political mainstream. In a genuine bombshell moment, it now seems likely that a replacement – probably her youthful protege, Jordan Bardella, who is yet to turn 30 – will be obliged to step in.