Poll results

Emmanuel Macron loses lead in French election polls after remarks on colonial Algeria and gay marriage spark outrage

According to an OpinionWay poll, Mr Macron and Mr Fillon ended the week level-pegging on 20 per cent, with both men trailing Ms Le Pen, on 26 per cent.

An IFOP survey indicated a wider gap, with Mr Macron and Mr Fillon both on 18.5 per cent. Ms Le Pen is expected to win the first-round vote in April but polls suggest she will be defeated by whichever candidate goes through to the decisive second round runoff the following month.