Paris, France (AFP) — The French authorities want to adopt a new immigration law next year, a spokesperson said, as the new right-wing government seeks to crack down on immigration.

“There will be a need for a new law,” government spokeswoman Maud Bregeon told broadcaster BFMTV on Sunday.

The government’s plan to tighten immigration policies and border controls is emblematic of the rightward shift in French politics following this summer’s legislative elections that resulted in a hung parliament.

Michel Barnier’s government hopes the bill will be submitted to parliament at the beginning of 2025.

In September, a Paris student was raped and murdered in a case that has further inflamed a French debate on migration after a Moroccan was named as the suspected attacker.