French ministers quit before Macron's 'clean' reshuffle

Two French ministers have quit their jobs in the space of 24 hours as President Emmanuel Macron reshuffles his government to reflect his campaign pledge to clean up politics.
In a surprise decision, Defence Minister Sylvie Goulard announced today she was resigning over a fake jobs scandal that has hit her small centrist MoDem party, which allied with Macron's party in the presidential and legislative elections.
Macron accepted her resignation and said he "respected" Goulard's decision.
Her high-profile departure came after the president yesterday asked a close ally, Richard Ferrand, to leave his post as minister for territorial cohesion for a senior role in their Republic on the Move (REM) party.

Ferrand is under investigation over claims he favoured his wife in a lucrative property deal with a public health insurance fund when he headed the company.
Goulard's MoDem party is facing a preliminary probe into claims it misused European Parliament expenses in the hiring of parliamentary assistants.

The minister, who was a member of the European Parliament from 2009 to May this year, said she could not remain in the government while facing a possible investigation.
Meanwhile Macron has been carrying out a partial reshuffle of his month-old government following parliamentary elections on Sunday that handed him and his MoDem allies a commanding majority.

Macron's REM party crushed its rivals by winning 308 seats in the 577-seat National Assembly and will not need the support of MoDem, which won 42 seats, to get legislation through parliament.