A collapse of the government could further unnerve financial markets since it would put a quick passage of the budget at risk.

By Elizabeth Pineau and Dominique Vidalon PARIS (Reuters) -French Prime Minister Michel Barnier said on Monday he would try to ram a social security bill through parliament without a vote, leaving him more vulnerable than ever to being toppled in a no-confidence vote by far-right and leftist rivals.

After making a last-minute concession to win support from the far-right National Rally party earlier in the day, Barnier has now decided to invoke article 49.3 of the constitution to push through the bill without a vote,