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According to police, about 800,000 people are expected to take to the streets nationwide on Thursday, with schools, railways, and air transport also affected by the strike. A total of 80,000 police officers will be deployed.

This is expected to be the largest day of protest since 2023, when large crowds took to the streets to oppose Emmanuel Macron’s decision to raise the French retirement age to 64, a measure he pushed through using executive powers without a parliamentary vote.

The demonstrations come amid a political crisis in France, after Macron last week appointed his close ally Lecornu as the third prime minister within a year. The previous two prime ministers, François Bayrou and Michel Barnier, were ousted by parliament due to severe budget disagreements.

Lecornu, starting his term with a very low popularity rating, previously served as defense minister in two governments. Despite promising a “deep break” with past policies, he struggles to convince opposition parties that he will bring something new.

He was appointed after his centrist predecessor Bayrou lost a confidence vote on September 8 over an unpopular plan for budget cuts and a €44 billion (£38 billion) austerity program aimed at reducing France’s public debt. Lecornu said he would scrap Bayrou’s highly unpopular proposal to abolish two public holidays. However, unions fear that other elements of the cuts, such as freezing most social spending, may continue.

Lecornu has only a few weeks to prepare a budget text and form another minority government. He must avoid immediate rejection of any budget by opposition parties, which could oust him through a confidence vote. Since Macron’s surprise call for snap elections last June, the French parliament has been divided among the left, the far right, and the center, with no party holding an absolute majority. This has led to repeated deadlocks over the budget.