FRENCH communist parliamentarians marched to the Elysee Palace, the residence of President Emmanuel Macron, yesterday to hand in a letter demanding he drop his unpopular plan to raise the retirement age by two years to 64.

The proposal has sparked a wave of strikes and millions of people taking to the streets since it was made in January.

Protests have intensified in recent weeks after Mr Macron used special  constitutional powers to force the legislation through the National Assembly without a vote.

The French Communist Party (PCF) turned down an invitation from Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne to meet her to discuss the plan after she made it clear on Sunday in a telephone call with PCF general secretary Fabien Roussel that she still intended to press ahead.

Speaking from outside the Elysee Palace, Mr Roussel said: “We call on the president of the republic to take initiatives quickly to give the floor back to the people.

“Respect parliamentarians and the people who are widely opposed to reform.

“Remove the pension reforms so we can find a way to renew the dialogue.”