LEFT-WING members of the French parliament today demanded the withdrawal of the draft new law on immigration introduced by President Emmanuel Macron’s government.

The French government has been trying to force through legislation to further toughen the country’s immigration law, but a new draft legislation was voted down in the National Assembly even without a debate on its measures.

Mr Macron’s Renaissance Party government, which does not have a parliamentary majority, has been locked in talks with the opposition parties to rescue the proposed legislation.

A mixed parliamentary commission consisting of seven senators and seven assembly lawmakers met on Monday to hammer out a compromise text, but the meeting came to an abrupt halt after just minutes due to policy disagreements, including over access by migrants to social benefits and family allowances.

Critics say that Mr Macron’s government has already granted too many concessions to the far right, which insists the Bill is not tough enough.

Communist Party Senator Ian Brossat said: “Since the start of this joint commission, the Macronists have decided to give in to the demands of the right and the extreme right.

“The Macronists no longer have any principles. They are turning this text into a National Front leaflet from the 1980s.”

A letter published in the Liberation newspaper today, signed by more than 380 local and national Green lawmakers, said: “This immigration Bill is part of a dynamic of criminalisation and stigmatisation of migrants, promoted by the right and the centre at the national and European level.”

Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said that a failure to reach agreement over the Bill would be a “magnificent” boost for Marine Le Pen’s far-right National Rally party.

“Ms Le Pen doesn’t want these solutions, she wants problems,” he said.

France’s immigrant population is estimated at 5.1 million, or 7.6 per cent of the population. Authorities believe there are between 600,000 to 700,000 undocumented immigrants in the country.