Emmanuel Macron's popularity rating suffers worst fall for French president in 20 years

The biggest decline in popularity for a French president since Jacques Chirac in 1995

The Emmanuel Macron appears to have suffered the worst drop in popularity for a French president in 20 years, according to a new poll.

Mr Macron’s approval rating dropped by ten to 54 per cent in July, compared to his popularity in June which was at 64 per cent, according to an Ifop survey published in the French newspaper Journal du Dimanche.

This was, Ifop suggested, the biggest decline in popularity for a French president since Jacques Chirac in 1995.

The participants who had a negative opinion of Mr Macron cited concerns over authoritarianism and too much time spent on his public image.

Results come after the 39-year-old former banker unveiled key budget cuts in public spending and military finances – a move which has been heavily criticised.

Mr Macron is proposing €850m (£750m) worth of military cuts as part of a programme to achieve €60bn (£53bn) of savings over five years – while upholding an election pledge to cut taxes.

The head of the French armed forces, General Pierre de Villiers, has quit his post following a public clash with the president over the proposed cuts.

In a statement he said: “In the current circumstances I see myself as no longer able to guarantee the robust defence force I believe is necessary to guarantee the protection of France and the French people, today and tomorrow, and to sustain the aims of our country.”

In response to discontent amongst his own, Mr Macron had told Le Journal du Dimanche: “If the military chief of staff and the President are opposed on something, the military chief of staff goes.”

Mr Macron ended up overruling his own prime minister by vowing to go ahead with tax cuts in 2018, and plans to cut housing benefits were received unfavourably.

The poll results come just 10 days after US President Donald Trump's visit with the French President, following an invitation from Mr Macron to celebrate Bastille Day.