Sébastien Lecornu Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Sébastien Lecornu
Lecornu in 2024

Prime Minister of France
Incumbent
Assumed office 9 September 2025
President	Emmanuel Macron
Preceded by	François Bayrou
Minister of the Armed Forces
In office 20 May 2022 – 9 September 2025
Prime Minister	Élisabeth Borne Gabriel Attal Michel Barnier François Bayrou
Preceded by	Florence Parly
Succeeded by	TBA
Minister of the Overseas
In office 6 July 2020 – 20 May 2022
Prime Minister	Jean Castex
Preceded by	Annick Girardin
Succeeded by	Yaël Braun-Pivet
Minister for Local Authorities
In office 16 October 2018 – 6 July 2020
Prime Minister	Édouard Philippe
Preceded by	Estelle Grelier (2017)
Succeeded by	Jacqueline Gourault
Secretary of State to the Minister of the Ecological and Inclusive Transition
In office 21 June 2017 – 16 October 2018
Prime Minister	Édouard Philippe
Preceded by	Position established
Succeeded by	Emmanuelle Wargon
President of the Departmental Council of Eure
In office 1 July 2021 – 16 December 2022
Preceded by	Pascal Lehongre
Succeeded by	Alexandre Rassaërt
In office 2 April 2015 – 10 July 2017
Preceded by	Jean-Louis Destans
Succeeded by	Pascal Lehongre
Mayor of Vernon
In office 5 April 2014 – 4 December 2015
Preceded by	Philippe Nguyen Thanh
Succeeded by	François Ouzilleau

Personal details
Born	(1986-06-11) 11 June 1986 (age 39) Eaubonne, France
Political party	Renaissance (since 2017)
Other political affiliations	UMP (2002–2015) LR (2015–2017)
Residences	Hôtel de Matignon, Paris
Alma mater	Panthéon-Assas University

Sébastien Lecornu (born 11 June 1986) became the Prime Minister of France on 9 September 2025. He was chosen by President Emmanuel Macron to lead the government.

Before becoming Prime Minister, Lecornu held several important roles in the French government. He was the Minister of the Armed Forces from 2022 to 2025. He also served as Minister of the Overseas from 2020 to 2022. Earlier, he was the Minister for Local Authorities and a Secretary of State for ecological transition.

Sébastien Lecornu started his political career in local government. He was the President of the Departmental Council of Eure from 2015 to 2017. He also served as the Mayor of Vernon. He is a member of the Renaissance political party.

Early Life and Education
Political Career
Political Views
Honours and Awards
- National Honours
- Foreign Honours
See also

Early Life and Education

Sébastien Lecornu was born on 11 June 1986 in Eaubonne, France. His father, Jean-Pierre Lecornu, worked as an aeronautical technician. His mother, Martine Rousseau, was a medical secretary.

He was inspired by his grandfather, who had a strong sense of duty. Sébastien was very interested in the army and politics from a young age. He completed his high school studies at a private Catholic school in Vernon.

After high school, he studied law at Panthéon-Assas University. In 2002, when he was 16, Lecornu became active in politics. He joined the Union for a Popular Movement (UMP) party.

In 2005, at 19, he became the youngest assistant to a member of the French Parliament, Franck Gilard. Later, in 2008, he became an advisor to Bruno Le Maire, a Secretary of State. At 22, Lecornu was the youngest advisor in the government at that time. He also serves as a reserve officer in the National Gendarmerie, which is a part of the French armed forces.

Political Career

Local Government Roles

Sébastien Lecornu began his career in local politics. In 2014, he was elected as the Mayor of Vernon. He served in this role until December 2015.

Because of rules about holding too many leadership roles at once, he stepped down as Mayor of Vernon. In 2015, he was elected as a councillor for the canton of Vernon. He then became the President of the Departmental Council of Eure. He focused on managing public money carefully during his time in local government.

Secretary of State for Ecological Transition

Sébastien Lecornu in 2017

In 2017, President Emmanuel Macron appointed Lecornu as a Secretary of State. He worked with the Minister for the Ecological and Inclusive Transition. In this role, he helped with important energy projects. These included topics related to nuclear power plants.

He later changed political parties, joining La République en marche (now called Renaissance).

Minister for Local Authorities

On 16 October 2018, Lecornu became the Minister for Local Authorities. He worked with Jacqueline Gourault, the Minister of Territorial Cohesion.

In this position, he helped manage relations between the national government and local areas. He also helped lead a "great national debate" to address public concerns.

Minister of the Overseas

On 6 July 2020, Sébastien Lecornu was appointed Minister of the Overseas. In this role, he was responsible for France's territories outside of mainland Europe.

He worked to solve problems in France's overseas territories, like Guadeloupe. He also discussed ways to give these regions more local control. He was elected as a senator but later stepped down from that role and other local positions due to rules about holding multiple offices. He briefly returned to lead the Eure departmental council, which was an unusual step while also serving as a minister.

Minister of the Armed Forces

Lecornu with US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin in 2022

From May 2022 until September 2025, Sébastien Lecornu served as the Minister of the Armed Forces. This is a very important role, overseeing France's military.

He worked with other countries on defense matters. For example, he visited Niger to discuss French troops in the Sahel region. He also helped coordinate France's support for Ukraine during the conflict with Russia, including providing military equipment.

As Minister, he oversaw agreements for military equipment, such as selling observation satellites to Poland. He introduced a plan to increase military spending significantly. This plan aimed to strengthen France's defense, including its armed forces and equipment like a new aircraft carrier. It also sought to increase the number of reserve soldiers. He worked to increase France's ability to produce military supplies, like artillery shells. He also collaborated with other European countries to develop new defense technologies.

Prime Minister of France

Sébastien Lecornu became the Prime Minister of France on 9 September 2025. President Emmanuel Macron chose him to lead the government after the previous Prime Minister, François Bayrou, resigned. As Prime Minister, he is now the head of the French government.

Political Views

Sébastien Lecornu describes his political views as generally right-wing. He focuses on French national interests and European cooperation. He has often spoken about managing public money carefully. He has also supported traditional hunting practices.