France's Macron and new PM Attal craft new government

France's newly appointed Prime Minister Gabriel Attal delivers a speech during the handover ceremony with outgoing Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne at the Hotel Matignon in Paris, France, on January 9, 2024. Ludovic Marin/Pool via REUTERS

PARIS (Reuters) - French President Emmanuel Macron and his new Prime Minister Gabriel Attal worked on Wednesday to pull together a cabinet, a day after Macron appointed the 34-year-old media-savvy loyalist to breathe new life into his second term.

Attal has promised to be bold and fast to help the middle class weather the rising cost of living, signalling a desire by Macron to move beyond divisive reforms and improve his centrist party's chances in European Parliament elections in June.