Europe14 September, 20262 min read
Marine Le Pen Puts National Priority at Center of Hénin-Beaumont Housing Agenda
This article is an automated aggregation of coverage from news outlets. Our editorials offer in-depth analysis curated by the NewsCord team.
Marine Le Pen centers 'national priority' and housing in her 2027 campaign kickoff in Hénin-Beaumont. She pledges to prioritize French citizens over foreigners for housing and social benefits.
Le Pen’s housing comeback
Marine Le Pen delivered her first major campaign speech in Hénin-Beaumont on Sunday, September 13, placing the “national priority” at the center of her housing agenda. She told the crowd that “The French will have priority in their home,” and said the policy would apply to access to social housing. In the same speech, she promised to cut VAT from 20% to 5.5% for gas, electricity and heating oil, while also attacking “environmental and administrative restrictions governing planning laws.”
Euronews reported that Jordan Bardella did not address the crowd on Sunday, but supporters sang “Happy Birthday” to him as Le Pen spoke. The speech also came as Le Pen’s stronghold of Hénin-Beaumont—estimated at 26,000 people—remained a National Rally bastion, with mayor Steeve Briois in power for 14 years.
“National priority” meets law
Europe 1 framed Le Pen’s “national priority” for social housing as colliding with French and European law, arguing that “the equal treatment principle prevails at both the French and European levels.” The outlet said that for French people to have priority in allocating housing units funded by public money, “the constitution might need to be amended,” potentially after a referendum. Europe 1 also cited the 1980s case in Ain where a commune restricted social housing allocations for foreigners, noting that the prefect sued and the decision was struck down in the name of the law.
In the same debate over feasibility, Europe 1 pointed to Article 55 of the constitution, saying “European treaties are superior to French laws.” France 3 Régions reported that Le Pen’s speech on September 13 in Hénin-Beaumont came after about two weeks of upheaval for the RN, including controversies over a proposed referendum on banning headscarves in public spaces and criticism tied to the municipal police in Carcassonne.
RN stakes for 2027
Public Sénat highlighted how RN deputy Laurent Jacobelli defended the “national priority” as the “first social measure” of a future government, saying “all French people are prioritized at home.” Jacobelli told Public Sénat that in cases where “there is a candidate presented by a French family and another file presented by a foreign family, the French family takes precedence,” adding “This is not unconstitutional.” RFI reported that Le Pen promised that if elected, housing would be “one of the major projects of the five-year term,” and said she would repeal the SRU law (Solidarity and Urban Renewal).
RFI also said she aimed to allow the sale “of a certain number of HLM to the French” and to evict families of delinquents from social housing, while making public lands available to builders for free in exchange for “thousands of modest-rent apartments.” In the same RFI account, Le Pen concluded her speech by saying “This presidential election will decide everything,” contrasting “old habits and misdeeds” with a “surge” leading to a “renaissance of France.”