"Reading things that aren't legal texts": between rest and preparation for the parliamentary session, what do MPs' vacations look like?

Although parliamentary work has officially been at a standstill for three weeks, until mid-September, some MPs are keen to point out that they will continue to work during the summer.

On vacation. The members of the government are waking up on vacation on Thursday, July 31, after a final cabinet meeting. The deputies, for their part, have already been on break for three weeks, including the last extraordinary session on July 10. This break, which is scheduled to last until September 15, has been heavily criticized by some Internet users on social media . But some deputies, contacted by franceinfo, assure that these weeks will not be restful... all the time.

For the Insoumis Hadrien Clouet, there will not be "a huge break, it's more of a time of rest and vigilance." There are a few days left before the LFI summer schools on August 19: an opportunity for the Haute-Garonne MP to carry out very specific missions. "I typically think of monitoring places of deprivation of liberty when there is a heatwave. If we don't do it in August, we won't do it this year, " he said by telephone to franceinfo.

But Hadrien Clouet also intends to have fun: "It's time for old school friends, for family, to read things that aren't legal texts. It feels good!" assures the LFI deputy.

For Republican Marie-Christine Dalloz , it will be a week in Les Sables-d'Olonne , with "a little swimming, a lot of walking and reading" . Before returning to her constituency in the Jura and visiting "certain companies [that] are having difficulties, particularly in the automotive and construction sectors" , she said. It will also be an opportunity to meet "mayors, individuals, and requests for appointments that have not necessarily been processed".

Philippe Ballard, National Rally MP for Oise, opts for a vacation in Brittany. But he'll never be far from the phone, nor from a swipe at the government. "It's true that this year, we're having a slightly longer break than in recent years. Due, of course, to a vote of no confidence that had to be avoided, François Bayrou's government preferred to stop work on July 11th..." he says.

In any case, in its back-to-school briefcase, the National Rally will most likely prepare a motion of censure against the government, just like LFI and part of the left , while the debates around the 2026 budget are due to begin in the autumn.