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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
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| François Fillon sparks speculation with last-minute farm fair pullout | François Fillon sparks speculation with last-minute farm fair pullout |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| François Fillon, the conservative French presidential candidate whose campaign has been hit by a legal investigation, has postponed a planned visit to the annual Paris farm fair at the last minute without giving a reason. | François Fillon, the conservative French presidential candidate whose campaign has been hit by a legal investigation, has postponed a planned visit to the annual Paris farm fair at the last minute without giving a reason. |
| Fillon has been under pressure over allegations that he paid family members for fake parliamentary jobs. | Fillon has been under pressure over allegations that he paid family members for fake parliamentary jobs. |
| He faces a full judicial inquiry into the allegations after the country’s financial prosecutor said last week she was appointing a magistrate to lead a deeper investigation. | He faces a full judicial inquiry into the allegations after the country’s financial prosecutor said last week she was appointing a magistrate to lead a deeper investigation. |
| “The visit by François Fillon this morning to the international agricultural salon has been postponed,” said a short statement from Fillon’s team that gave no explanation and sent rumours flying. | “The visit by François Fillon this morning to the international agricultural salon has been postponed,” said a short statement from Fillon’s team that gave no explanation and sent rumours flying. |
| Shaking hands, patting cows and tasting sausage at the annual agricultural show is seen as an unmissable event in the political calendar, when candidates set out to show their attachment to rural France. | Shaking hands, patting cows and tasting sausage at the annual agricultural show is seen as an unmissable event in the political calendar, when candidates set out to show their attachment to rural France. |
| Journalists had already gathered at the fair to cover the candidate’s arrival. | Journalists had already gathered at the fair to cover the candidate’s arrival. |
| Several French journalists said on Twitter that Fillon was likely to make a statement at midday Paris time (1100 GMT). His team could not be immediately reached for comment. | Several French journalists said on Twitter that Fillon was likely to make a statement at midday Paris time (1100 GMT). His team could not be immediately reached for comment. |
| Fillon, who campaigned initially as a sleaze-free “Mr Clean”, was alleged to have paid his British wife, Penelope, at least €680,000 (£577,000) of taxpayers’ money for a suspected fake parliamentary assistant job spanning 15 years. Financial prosecutors later extended their investigation to whether he also gave two of his children highly paid, allegedly fake jobs from state funds when they were still students. | |
| It is legal for French MPs to hire family members, as long as the person is genuinely employed. Fillon has denied the allegations or any wrongdoing, saying the jobs were real. | |
| Fillon’s rating in opinion polls has fallen in recent weeks. Recent polls have suggested that the far-right Front National candidate, Marine Le Pen, is likely to make it through to the final round of the election on 7 May, where she would face the independent centrist Emmanuel Macron. |