France, Nov. 28 -- The bill, championed by the hard-left France Unbowed (LFI) and backed by a united left-wing bloc - Socialists, Greens and Communists included - was passed late on Thursday by 127 votes to 41.

The far-right's National Rally chose to abstain, while parties backing President Emmanuel Macron's minority government voted against.

The proposal now faces a more hostile reception in the Senate, dominated by centrists and the right, and is widely expected to stall.

Finance Minister Roland Lescure has criticised the move, describing it as "a populist response to a structural problem".

Posting on social media this Friday, he took aim at what he called an "opportunistic and unnatural" alignment between LFI and the National Rally...