French presidential frontrunner Fillon under pressure over healthcare

Francois Fillon, member of Les Republicains political party and 2017 presidential candidate of the French centre-right, attends a lunch during a visit in Chantenay-Villedieu, western France, December 1, 2016. REUTERS/Stephane Mahe

PARIS (Reuters) - French Socialist would-be presidential candidate Manuel Valls on Friday criticised conservative rival Francois Fillon's proposals to slash public payroll and health spending, saying they threatened the foundations of a welfare state dear to voters.

Valls' salvo came on the heels of an opinion poll showing 90 percent of people opposed to cutting spending on public healthcare - a Fillon proposal that is raising concern even in his own party, the centre-right Les Republicains.