Paris (AFP) - France's Interior Minister Gerard Collomb on Tuesday appeared set to quit against the wishes of Emmanuel Macron, dealing a fresh blow to the president.
Collomb, a political heavyweight and until now one of Macron's most loyal defenders, announced two weeks ago that he planned to run for his old job as mayor of the city of Lyon.
He said he would stay on as minister until May's European elections, but came under pressure to step down immediately as critics complained that his priorities had already turned to the campaign trail.
Late Monday, Macron's office said Collomb had offered his resignation -- but the president had vetoed it, insisting on "his confidence" in the 71-year-old.
But Collomb on Tuesday said he still intended to quit, throwing the French political establishment into confusion.
"Gerard Collomb has resigned again. How long is this sketch going to last?" tweeted far-right leader Marine Le Pen.
An aide to Macron said the president found it "regrettable" that Collomb "should find himself in a situation leading to him having to resign".
Macron was awaiting proposals from Prime Minister Edouard Philippe on how to proceed, the presidential palace said.
Under the French constitution, the president names and removes ministers upon instructions from the premier.
Collomb has previously compared his relationship with Macron, 31 years his junior, to that of a father and son. He wept during Macron's inauguration in May 2017.
But their relationship is reported to have soured this summer over the scandal surrounding Macron's former security aide Alexandre Benalla.
The former bodyguard was filmed roughing up protesters while wearing a police helmet, and a vast political scandal blew up when it emerged that senior officials knew about it.
Appearing at a parliamentary inquiry, Collomb had pointed blame at Macron's office, saying it was their responsibility to report the incident to prosecutors.
Collomb previously served as Lyon mayor for 16 years until Macron poached him for the interior ministry, and it had long been rumoured that he was eyeing a fourth term running the eastern city.
His looming departure adds to a pile of woes for Macron, whose approval ratings are languishing at around 34 percent.
The former investment banker came to power at the head of a new centrist party promising to clean up politics and revive France's sputtering economy.
But his government has been forced to cut its growth forecast to a lacklustre 1.6 percent this year as his pro-business reforms struggle to have the desired effect.
The upset over Collomb comes just weeks after Macron's popular environment minister Nicolas Hulot, a TV star, quit live on air without warning the president first.
He was swiftly followed by another popular member of the cabinet, former Olympic fencing champion Laura Flessel, who resigned as sports minister for "personal reasons".
